The Story of Qin Lee: Imperial Firebender
by IGdude117
Summary: The story of Qin Lee, a Fire Nation firebender who's seen it all. Rated T for battle scenes. Of course, there will be MAJOR spoilers for all of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is in no way my property.
1. Chapter 1: My Story

142 AG-

My name is Qin Lee, and I guess you could say that I've seen it all. I've been in the Fire Nation Armed Forces since the year 93AG, the year before Crown Prince Iroh began his siege of the Great City of Ba Sing Se. I've served the Fire Nation for 16 years. I began as a simple Private in the Firebending Corps in… I think it was 93 AG, and retired as a Colonel in 109 AG. I've seen a lot of action in my career, and I've made a lot of mistakes, but I suppose I'm here now to talk about them. My daughter asked me to write this memoir, and I suppose, being 67 now, I might as well get on with it. I know those heroes that served with the Avatar during the War all told their stories, so here is mine.

75 AG-

I was born in the year 75 AG on the hottest day of that summer to my parents, Taro (my father) and Aiko (my mother)—both wealthy merchants living in the city of Varron on the Island of Infernus to the East. From the moment I was born, I was often told, it was readily apparent that I would be a firebender. "The Spark", the doctors apparently said, was in my eyes. I began Firebending as a small child; on accident of course, but I once lit my nursery on fire. When I was little, my parents hired a private tutor who taught me not only standard subjects, but also rudimentary firebending. Accordingly, I entered school with a greater knowledge of Firebending than most of my classmates.

"Qin," my teachers would tell me, "you are destined to serve the Firelord."

I suppose that ended up being true, but in ways I didn't like. School was hard, but I managed to be considered moderately popular amongst my classmates, and my great skill at firebending certainly helped keep bullies away.

My parents and I had a great relationship, even though my father passed when I was sixteen. My mother, Haruko, was a kind woman, but was stern with me when I needed it. I have her to thank for my sense of humility and honor; those, of all her lessons, were the lessons that stayed with me, even when I was in my… flawed stage. For her, honor meant doing the right thing and doing what was right for the people.

"Qin," she'd tell me, "always remember to have honor in all things."

For me, I took this as meaning honor to my duty. Duty, for me, meant service. Through School, we were taught to worship Firelord Ozai as a God on earth. For all we knew, he was. The firey avatar of the Fire Nation's ambitions- kids in my school would whisper stories of Ozai's incredible mastery of firebending; some even said that he could shoot lightning out of his fingertips. For me at the time, a moderately good firebender, such a concept was unthinkable to me, but I learned that later on.

On the day I turned eighteen, in the year 93AG, I graduated from my academy and formally joined the Firebending Corps. Tearfully, I said goodbye to my mother. I remember the moment as if it was yesterday. It was midday, and the other recruits were saying goodbye to their loved ones. My mother, a little shorter than me, had hugged me for a while, and then held my face.

"Qin Lee, take care of yourself. Please, _please_ do not come back in an urn. It would kill me," she said, sobbing.

I smiled, and hugged her again, kissing her on the forehead.

"Don't worry, mom. I'll come back."

With that, I left with the other recruits on a massive warship bound for the Capital Island. I would indeed return to see my mother again, but she died soon after I left from my first leave. I suppose the one thing I regret most about my life is that I spent such little time with my parents. Although we loved each other very much, we often spent time going our own paths. Would that I had spent more time with them…

Ahh, I suppose I'm being the downer here. My sarcastic years didn't begin until basic training, so you'll have that to look forward to, at least. For now, however, I'm done. I go now to drink some tea with my family; one of the many things General Iroh taught me.

* * *

**Hey all, so this is the opener to a new story that I've been thinking about for a while. My plan is to portray the events of the original series through the eyes of a normal (well, bending) person on the other team. **

**For those of you that don't know, Qin Lee was mentioned in the Episode Sozin's Comet Part 3: Into the Inferno. Qin Lee is the Imperial Firebender who identifies himself as "working up in communications" and then gets dumped into the ocean by Sokka. I'm not great at creating OCs from scratch, so I'm making this one up as I go along. **

**My plan is to have Lee start as a private in the First Siege of Ba Sing Se and then work his way into the many episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

**A quick note: I'm juggling this fanfic around with my other fanfic "Old Friends" so updates may be sporadic at best, but if you liked this, stay tuned for more, as I'll attempt weekly updates to the story.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Cheers,**

**IGdude117**


	2. Chapter 2: Firebender Training

93 A.G- Day One.

The first thing I remembered, after getting off of the Cruiser and arriving in the Earth Kingdom military camps, is the yelling. The moment we benders got off, we had a drill sergeant bellowing in our faces and cursing us out.

"You pathetic weasels think you're good enough to fight for the Fire Nation?! Think again, maggots," was the first sentence the esteemed Drill Sergeant Takano said to us.

We unloaded the ship alongside throngs of other recruits, non benders for the most part. The Drill Sergeant quickly organized us into squadrons, and we were suddenly the 124th Trainee Company, 23rd Division, Fire Nation Army.

There were around a hundred of us in the Trainee company, and were immediately forced to march a mile in the pouring rain to Camp Clupea, around thirty miles away from the Xiao Woods, which would later become the home to a particular band of guerrilla warriors known as the Freedom Fighters.

Anyways, we arrived in the barracks tent after being soundly bellowed at by our Drill Sergeant, and we were assigned to bunk beds. I was paired with another Private named Liao, who hailed from a larger city on the Capital Island.

"The names Liao," he said, offering his hand.

I had always been a bit stuck-up, so the thought of shaking hands with a _peasant_ was strange to me, but I made the decision to shake his hand anyways. We were all in the same boat, after all, and I supposed that being a stuffy aristocrat would earn me no friends.

"Qin Lee. I'm from Varron, from Infernus island, to the East."

The man looked interested, and I told him that I was a merchant's son, and I told him a few token stories from my school years to impress him. Indeed, the man did look impressed, and, as I unpacked my things, he told me all about his life as a farmer, which was incredibly boring to me, but I acted interested anyways.

We were interrupted by the Drill Sergeant clearing his throat, and a rush of activity as the men all gathered in parallel lines across the barrack tent.

"Well, you mangy pack of Rat-Ants, my name is Drill Sergeant Takano, and you will have the displeasure of serving under me for the next three months. You have been given the honor of being Firebenders for our glorious nation, and I intend to shape you into the best damn soldiers this side of the Earth Kingdom. Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Your training will consist of three stages. The first is a physical stage. You will be tested to the limits of physical endurance. You will be taught how to handle a weapon, how to ride a Komodo-Rhino, and how to operate a piece of Fire Nation machinery, as well as how to operate as an effective unit."

He paused, pacing down the hallway, eyeing different soldiers with his baleful golden eyes.

"Second stage will be Firebending training. You maggots may hold the power of fire, but you sure as Agni don't know how to use it. Second stage will teach you how to operate as a true Firebender in the Army."

He stopped at the front of the tent, holding his hands rigidly behind his back.

"Third stage will be specialty training. We will see exactly what branch of service you belong in. Those of you who have skills in combat will remain in the Firebending Corps. Those who show an aptitude for riding Komodo-Rhinos will join the Cavalry Corps. Those of you that show that you can power machinery or handle sea life will join the Fire Navy. And those of you…" he said, looking around the room intensely, "… that show a special skill in Firebending may someday find themselves in the Imperial Firebenders, serving the Royal Family directly."

I remember thinking to myself that I liked the sound of Imperial Firebender, and that I would very much like to become one someday. I was arrogant back then, and I remember thinking that all I would have to do is ride out basic training, join the Firebender Corps, knock a few Earth Kingdom heads together, and join the Imperial Firebenders for an easy life.

If only I knew.

* * *

The next few entries are actually excerpts from a journal I kept; I've managed to dig them up from my footlocker, so I've decided to put them here.

_Day Nine: 93 AG, Camp Clupea._

_Today was tough. Sergeant Takano had us doing laps around the compound for the first half of the day, followed by weapons training drills. I've proven to be quite resourceful with both the halberd known as the Pu Dao, as well as the straight sword, the Jian. It's frustrating, however. Why do we have to train with these stupid weapons when we have the power of Fire in our hands? I do not know. _

_Hiro, a son of a military family from the Fire Capital, came up to me today and asked me my name. I told him as such, and I'm not sure, but I think he wants to be my friend. He's a strong fellow who can handle himself in a fight, but I wonder how his firebending is. _

_It's been this way for the entire week, and then some. We wake, run, exercise, and crawl in the mud, then we get a half-an-hour long break, then we train with weapons well into the evening. Takano is insane if he thinks we can survive this. I wonder if he's even allowed…_

* * *

_Day Fifteen: 93 AG, Camp Clupea._

_We ran an exercise today, with dummy weapons. We were competing with the other squads in the Company; there are Ten squads, each with ten men in them. I am in squad Six, under a man named Kinzo, from the Colonies. Hiro's in my squad too, but Liao is in squad nine. We were teamed with squadrons one through five for today's exercise, and we were to take a hill held by 'the Earthbenders', or the other squads. It was tough, but we did it with some ingenuity. Kinzo, despite his looks, turned out to be quite intelligent. He had a few of the other squads create simultaneous diversions while he and two other squads came from the rear and demolished the enemy. We had wooden weapons, but we managed to knock some heads. _

_It's been half a month. Wow. Stage one is almost complete, and I can see the difference in all of us. Not that I'm arrogant, but I've caught glimpses of myself in the mirror, and, well, let's just say I probably won't have an issue getting girls now. Even Nobu, the fat son of a baker from one of the inner islands, has thinned out. Not to mention we're all proficient with a weapon. It's no secret that there will be times we can't rely on firebending. I've always noticed I was a little weaker at night…_

* * *

Training was long, I remember that much. Reading back in my journal entries, I'm always amused to see how cocky and sure of myself I was. Some of the trainees tried being lazy, arrogant, and spiteful, but they quickly found that Tanako found their faults and exploited them. I myself tried my best to be a good soldier and all that. I got yelled at a lot, and I worked probably twice as hard as those other _lazy_ soldiers, but it eventually paid off; I ended up scoring fifth-highest in the Company during graduation day.

While we had been training, the other companies of nonbenders and a few other bending companies had been hard at work, and at stage graduation, I got to see how many of us there were. The central plaza around the Fire nation flag was filled to the brim with soldiers, all in their standard uniforms; I remember being in wonder of how many troops there were.

Word around camp had been that we'd get a special visitor, and when we saw who it was, we were flabbergasted.

General Iroh, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, had climbed on that stage to give us a speech.

"Soldiers of the Fire Nation," he had shouted. "We are gathered here to celebrate your first steps into becoming fully-fledged soldiers of the Fire Nation Army!"

The declaration had been met by cheers amongst the soldiers.

"My father, Fire Lord Azulon, has always desired the Earth Kingdom, and we shall fulfill that wish by taking the Great City of Ba Sing Se!"

There were murmurs of surprise amongst the troops. I remember that Kinzo had glanced at me in surprise, which I had returned. Taking Ba Sing Se? Was that even possible? The colossal capital of the Earth Kingdom was said to be invulnerable.

"But for tonight, congratulate yourself for getting this far into your training; for tomorrow, your training will begin in earnest!"

There were groans of dismay from some of the troops, and Iroh grinned knowingly, walking of the stage. I remember that both Hiro and Liao had looked at me in fear, with a single thought; how could training get any worse?

* * *

The next day saw us waking early in the morning and assembling on a firing range. There, Sergeant Takano had us doing pose drills through most of the morning, where we then began actually firebending.

"A Fire Nation Firebender does not firebend like a master," Takano stated bluntly.

"A Fire Nation Firebender does only what he needs to do to succeed over his enemies. The first move that every bender must know is the one you will use the most; the Fire Fist."

The men gathered around Takano as he demonstrated.

"You bend the fire through your closed fist, which you punch forward rapidly, like so," he said.

Settling into the bending pose he had spent all morning teaching he had breathed inward and jabbed his fist out, expelling a large fireball that exploded on a wooden dummy a few yards away. We were then ordered to attempt a fireball, and most of the soldiers managed small shadows of Takano's display, some only conjuring wisps of fire. I, however, did not have that problem, and I did the move, expelling a massive fireball out, catching the attention of Takano.

"Lee, good job. Soldiers, _that's_ how you bend fire. This man is going places, while the rest of you maggots will be _nothing._"

That earned me some hostile glares, I remember, but both I and Hiro, who both produced large fireballs, quickly became Takano's 'favorites'.

That night, I had a crowd of people who demanded that I teach them how to do the move.

"There's no secret," I had said, innocently. "You just have to _feel _the move, and, well, make it happen."

And so it went. We would do some exercises early in the morning, practice our poses, then practice our moves for much of the rest of the day, as well as go to classroom lectures on firebending theory, and some recreational time to do as we pleased. Classroom instruction was interesting, but somewhat dry; we spent hours learning from an expert firebender about how to utilize our _chi_ to enhance our firebending, and how having a personal drive can enhance power; that in particular interested me. Anything that could enhance my bending was interesting.

* * *

We learned many moves throughout the course of our month-long training stage. Other than the Fire Fist, we learned the Pillar move, which had a continuous stream of fire for clearing out enemies, a fire kick, which saw us bend with our feet, and fire blasts, which we conjured in our hands, then released, causing a small explosion. Those, along with a plethora of other moves, left us, even the weakest of the group, as competent firebenders.

We would spend hours dueling each other, which I excelled at. Some of the most powerful benders in the Company couldn't even touch me; having had previous education gave me the edge, and it usually ended up that Hiro and I would duel; him having been from a military family, I could tell that he had also been taught earlier on, and both of us became advanced students, using trickier kick moves, jumping punch-kick combos, and other such advanced method. It reminded me of the propaganda posters we saw as kids.

* * *

On the day of our graduation, we were all called into the office individually. We all waited nervously, and as men came out, looking either pleased or disappointed, our anticipation only grew. When it came time for my name to be called, I was practically bursting with excitement.

I entered the room, and was surprised to see not only General Iroh there, but also Sergeant Tanako. The General gestured for me to sit, and I saluted stiffly and sat in the lone chair, nervous.

"Name?"

"Private Qin Lee, 124th Trainee Company, 23rd Division, your highness!"

The General sipped at his tea and looked at me, smiling.

"I have heard great things about you, Private Lee. Your drill sergeant here tells me that you are a firebending prodigy. Tell me, have you had any previous instruction?"

"Yes, Sir. I was taught firebending from a private tutor until I entered the Varron Academy, sir."

The General nodded, smiling. Iroh struck me as being very laid-back and calm. He looked to be about ten years older than me, and I couldn't help but see the Crown Prince's ornament in his topknot, but he was as calm as a still ocean. For the "Dragon of the West" who had killed the last dragons, he seemed like a nice person.

"Tell me, Private Lee, what do _you_ want to do?"

"Sir?"

"I'm curious."

"Sir, I would like to go into the Firebending Corps and fight, sir. I would like to eventually join the Imperial Firebenders, sir."

Iroh smiled.

"Aah, the Imperial Firebenders. The finest benders this Nation has at its disposal- capable of remarkable feats, and responsible for protecting the Royal Family and carrying out its most difficult missions. And do you think you have the stuff to join the Imperial Firebenders, Private?"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

Iroh chuckled, writing a notation on a scroll and handing it to Tanako.

"Very well, private. I'm transferring you into the Firebending Corps, and I'll recommend your name to Colonel Oda of the Imperial Firebending Academy."

I remember being immensely grateful, fearful, and happy all at the same time. Knowing myself, I probably did something stupid like jump up and salute or something. Either way, though, my name was recommended to Colonel Oda of the Imperial Firebending Academy, and I joined the Firebending Corps soon after.

We had a day to rest after graduation, and I found out that I had been assigned to the 13th Firebending Company, which was camped a few miles away from the Serpent's Pass, outside of Ba Sing Se. Both Hiro and Liao came with me, having been assigned to the same outfit.

With that, we boarded a caravan going to the Serpent's Pass to meet up at Camp Teshima to join our new outfit.

If we knew the nightmare that would ensue, however, we would have stayed in Camp Clupea and gone home.

* * *

Camp Teshima was a dismal place, to be honest. Located near the rocky crags of the Serpent's Pass, Teshima was immense, serving as a staging point for the inevitable invasion of Ba Sing Se. Word had spread all over the Fire Nation military; The Dragon of the West was going to lead it personally, rumor had it, and the Fire Nation had mustered the greatest army in history to punch through the wall.

When the convoy stopped, and we arrived in the camp itself, we saw the truth to the rumors. I had heard of Camp Teshima's size, of course, but I hadn't expected it to be _that_ big. The camp was colossal, with thousands of tents covering the ground for miles in each direction. Battalions of soldiers patrolled the perimeter, and line after line of trebuchets stood starkly on a ridgeline, swarms of engineers milling amongst them.

Hiro looked stunned, and Liao was completely silent, jaw agape.

"I didn't even know we had this many people in the Army," Hiro said, awed.

I remember feeling much the same way; Varron had been a large city, to be sure, but I had never truly seen the rest of my Nation, or the world, whatsoever.

"So it's true. We're taking Ba Sing Se," I whispered, dropping my pack on the ground behind me.

Behind us, the rest of the transfers jumped off the wagons as a column of Firebenders marched down the road towards the camp. I looked across the thin strip of land that was the Serpent's Pass, and I remember seeing the Walls for the first time. It had amazed me; the tall, tan walls that seemed to reach into the horizon infinitely. I remember wondering how on earth we were going to be able to tame the great city.

* * *

In retrospect, we probably never should have tried to take the city the way that we did. General Iroh later told me that he had a vision that he would take the city. As much as I respect the man, not a moment goes by when I don't question his decision. Why base the largest military operation in Fire Nation history on a simple vision? Although I'm no spiritual guru, I'd even tell you that attacking the most fortified city in the world was a flawed idea. I suppose history backs that up, seeing how the battle turned out.

I digress. What happened happened, and I suppose that the Siege led to other events that would eventually help the Avatar do what he needed to do; none of us were farsighted enough to see it.

I'm tired now, however, and I must be going soon. The Fire Lord's stepfather, Ikem, died recently, and we've been invited to attend the funeral. I'm not sure why, though, as I've only met the Fire Lord once, and that was when he was pardoning me.

* * *

**Next episode will see Qin Lee witness the beginning of the infamous Six Hundred Days, or the Siege of Ba Sing Se. Stay tuned!**

**As always, thanks for reading, and until next time, cheers!**

**-IGdude117**


	3. Chapter 3: New Friends, New Beginnings

94 A.G- Summer.

What I noticed first upon arriving in the tent of the 13th Company's commander was overpowering scent of ash. Hiro, Liao, and myself were shown in by a stoic guard and we saluted immediately.

The Commander of the 13th Company was a Captain Jirou. Jirou, I later learned, was a distinguished soldier who had served in the Hu Xin Provinces Campaign as well as the Battle of Taku, both under Fire Lord Azulon. He was a bull of a man; even at his age, around fifty years old; the man was heavily muscled, and intimidating. He had a large, square chin that was cut by a long, winding scar that ran across his face, a testament to his past battles. The reason for the smell of ash was the cloud of smoke that hung over the tent from his pipe that he sat, smoking, whilst drinking a cup of tea and looking at some maps. When we entered the room, he snorted derisively, smirking.

"Great. _More_ recruits. You the transfers from Clupea?"

"Yes, sir," I said, saluting stiffly.

The man grunted, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"You bastards came at a bad time. Go find Quartermaster Chao; he'll assign you weapons and armor. Then, find Sergeant Hikaru, third squadron; he lost a few men on a raid, so he's under strength."

We all saluted smartly, parade-ground style, and the man glanced back up, bemused, giving a halfhearted salute.

"Dismissed, soldier."

We exited the tent and glanced at each other nervously.

"That didn't sound very good," Liao noted.

I nodded in agreement.

"Let's go find Quartermaster Chao."

It took us a good thirty minutes to find the man; we had to ask directions to find our way through the massive camp, but we managed to locate it after asking a few artillery crewmen. We entered a massive tent and came face-to face with a very large, muscle-bound man who towered over us. The man looked at us for a while, frowning, and we saluted, noting the Lieutenant's insignia on his collar.

"What do you want," he said, in a low, menacing voice.

"We've-we've been ordered to report to you for equipment by Captain Jirou, sir," said Hiro, saluting smartly.

The man grunted, and then turned away, waving for us to follow him. We did so, following him through shelves of crates, racks of weapons, and discarded mounds of clothing. We arrived at a brightly lit back area, where he then bent over, lifted a crate, and pried it open with his massive hands. He tossed three bundles of armor towards the men, and I remember recognizing the iconic skull-faced helms of the Firebending Corps staring up at me, exciting me immensely.

The man then retrieved three battered, dull swords, which he threw to us distractedly, landing on the ground with a dull _thud_.

"Here are your armor sets and your swords. Unit insignias will be given to you when you arrive at your new unit. Further specialized equipment will be issued to you upon further notice. Do not lose, misplace, or unnecessarily damage your armor, or I _will_ find track you down. Dismissed."

We saluted timidly, scared out of our minds, and exited the tent quickly. We all paused outside the supply tent, looking at our armor bundles with excitement.

"We finally got our armor," I said, excitedly.

The others nodded in agreement; we were all excited. The armor of a Firebender was perhaps the most readily recognizable uniform of the entire Fire Nation armor. The iconic skull-faced helmet stared back at all citizens from the many propaganda posters that adorned every street corner back home. When I was little, and army battalions would march through Varron enroute to the harbor, the people would always cheer the loudest when the skull faced soldiers marched by.

* * *

When we arrived to Third Squadron's tent, we were already exhausted from having lugged our equipment around the entire camp. Needless to say, we made quite a ruckus, crashing into the tent, scaring the hell out of some troops. A disgruntled man with Sergeant's chevrons stalked forward, and we all saluted.

"What do _you_ want?"

I spoke for the group.

"Sir, we've been assigned to this squad by Captain Jirou. We've just arrived from Basic Training."

There were harsh laughs from around the tent as the sergeant pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"By Sozin's Beard, why is Jirou dropping these losers off here?"

"Probably 'cause we lost Sakurai and the other two in that raid last week," said a thin, glasses-wearing private from the back.

"Sakai, if I wanted your opinion, I would've asked for it," bellowed the sergeant, who then glared at the three recruits.

"Find your bunks in the back. I'll assign you your unit patches tomorrow morning before patrol. Dismissed."

We hurriedly found our bunks in the back of the tent. I took the first one, the bunk next to a pretty woman who lay back in her bunk, reading a scroll.

"Hey," I said, being the cocky womanizer I was.

I remember the shiver of fear that I got when that woman looked at me. She glared at me like I was a tiny bug that she had had the bad luck to step on, and I hurriedly turned away and stowed my belongings away in a wooden chest next to my bed.

"Don't pay attention to _her_, kid; she's just in her reading mode," came a gruff voice.

A tall, well-built man jumped down from the bunk above her and bowed, revealing a lean, tanned face that sported several scars running down the cheek. The man's eyes were kind, and he had a thick, black beard covering his face, but I could tell where he had gotten wounded several times.

I bowed back.

"The name's Aoke. I'm the squad specialist; I do the cool firebending tricks for this squad."

"Qin Lee. I'm from Varrus City"

Aoke looked surprised.

"No joke? I think Corporal Okada over there is from there."

Aoke shouted for the man, and Okada walked over; a medium-sized man who had a thin beard covering his chin, with a grim, drawn face and dark gold eyes.

"What?"

"This guy's from Varrus—aren't you from around there?"

Okada's face lightened up as he looked at me with renewed interest.

"Really? I live next to Taku's Fishery; you know it?"

I actually only lived a few blocks away from Taku's fishery, and finding a guy from my old hometown made me immeasurably more comfortable in this strange, hostile land.

"Yeah, I live by the police department. I used to go to Taku's with my friends, back in the day."

I remember that we talked for a while, reminiscing about Varrus city, at which point Aoke introduced me to the rest of our squad.

Sergeant Hikaru, he told me, was a seasoned veteran of many of the Fire Nation's campaigns in the Earth Kingdom, and apparently cooked really good noodles.

Okada, I had gathered, from Aoke's stories and talking with the man myself, was also a veteran of the Earth Kingdom campaigns and, as I found out later on, was a really good combat leader who had served in the Company for years now, similar to Sergeant Hikaru.

Private Yuko, a dingy, humorless man who always sat by his bed reading firebending theory scrolls for fun, was known to be a cold and efficient soldier who never smiled, ever.

Private Keita, a younger guy who always read propaganda scrolls and often spouted Fire Nation Military doctrine, was a reverent supporter of the Fire Nation's political ideology, and was nicknamed "The Diplomat" by Aoke.

Private Fujiko was the glaring girl who had looked at him earlier; she was a tall, thin-faced girl who had short black hair. Aoke had told him that she was crazy in battle and was a dedicated soldier that apparently hated all Earthbenders with a passion.

The thin, glasses wearing man was identified as being Private Sakai, who had apparently attended the Royal Firebending Academy, but had dropped out and joined the army because the Academy was 'too boring.'

Aoke finished the tour by telling me about himself, and his story was actually quite interesting.

Aoke had fought in the Northwestern Earth Kingdom campaigns, rising to the rank of Lieutenant, until he was picked to join the Imperial Firebenders, where he served with honor for three years, guarding the Royal Family. However, he was found sleeping on guard duty, and was going to be executed, until Fire Lady Ursa pardoned him, and he was instead busted down to the rank of Corporal and had been here ever since.

After his commentary-filled tour, he decided to leave us recruits alone, and we talked together on Hiro's and Liao's bed.

"These guys are crazy," Hiro said, fear tingeing his voice.

"That Fujiko girl looks like she's going to strangle me," Liao pointed out.

The two were silent, but I patted both on the shoulder reassuringly.

"We'll be fine. Besides, the crazy ones are the ones you want fighting by your side when the going gets tough; I guess we're going on patrol tomorrow, so we'll find out."

We returned to our bed after chatting for a while, and I remember sitting in bed, thinking about the patrol. All these months of training had prepared him for eventually going to battle; but questions swirled in my head endlessly.

How would I react in a fight? Would I be able to bend effectively? Would I die from a rock-spike, a spear, or a sword? Would I _ever_ return home? As I drifted to sleep, the fears for the next day's patrol swirled around my mind.

Knowing my squadmates, they probably weren't even thinking about the patrol. Experience in battle tends to give you a sense of knowledge; you don't sit up at night wondering what will happen because you know for sure that you and your comrades will do their jobs, accomplish the mission, and return home with glory and honor.

It wouldn't be long before I, too was in my first battle.

Here is a short excerpt from Firelord Zuko's memoirs that I found to be especially touching. The man may not have been a soldier, but he saw his fair share of fighting.

_Nothing can prepare you for battle. As a youth, I lusted for it; I wanted to fight, and it took me to the point of interrupting a war meeting; and you can see where that got me. As I grew, as I fought more, and as I mastered my own identity and I found my own motivations, it shaped me; changed me into the man I am today. Sure, I may have been a good person without events like the Battle of Yu Dao, the Agni Kai with my sister, or the many other skirmishes, battles, and duels I've been; but the experience of fighting another man or woman who has the full capacity to kill you is exhilarating in many ways. For me, it has turned me into a man who appreciates life in every aspect; having survived so many life-threatening situations has made me happier, in a perverse way._

Zuko's memoirs here perfectly fit the way I was after this war. So many years of fighting, war, and constant danger turned me into a shell; but when I returned home, I got help, I fell in love, and I learned to love life to its fullest.

I'm quite tired now, however; so I will conclude this entry for now. My wife wants to go to Ember Island in a few days, so I suppose I should begin packing.

* * *

**Qin Lee, signing off. **

**Just kidding. Next chapter we will see how our hero deals with his first battle in the days leading up to the fateful Siege of Ba Sing Se. Stuff's about to get epic._  
_**

**As always, please take a moment to review and thanks for reading. **

**Peace Out.**

**-IGdude117**


	4. Chapter 4: The Dawn Patrol

94 AG Summer- Camp Teshima, Early morning.

That morning, I was shaken awake by Hiro.

"Wake up," he whispered. "We're getting ready."

The tent was alive with activity as the squad members began digging through their equipment chests, strapping on their hard leather armor, the black and red colors dull in the early sunlight. I remember that my heart began pounding right around then as I went about the familiar ritual of putting on my armor.

In training, we had done drills to see how fast we could put our armor on, so the routine wasn't difficult. Strapping the tight leather armor onto my chest, strapping the weighted shoulder plates, then strapping my equipment belt on, and finally, pulling my boots on.

The armor, at first, had been heavy, but endless hours of training with it on during basic training had made it so that we were reasonably agile and used to the equipment's weight. I carefully watched the veterans; whereas I was sweating profusely under the armor and was very nervous, they were relatively relaxed, calmly putting on their armor with ease, sliding knives, short swords and other personalized weapons into their belts. I had spent some of my down time the previous day sharpening my sword, which I know slid into my belt. I remember keeping my helmet off, but following the others into the small space outside of the tent, where Captain Jirou was looking at a map with Sergeant Hikaru.

He glanced up at us, smirking.

"I see the recruits are settling in," he noted.

"Yes sir."

Clearing his throat, Jirou looked at the squad expectantly, flattening a map of Ba Sing Se out.

"As you know, we're gearing up for a full-scale siege of Ba Sing Se," the man said.

No matter how many times I heard that, it kept giving me shivers.

"To be able to break through the outer wall, we'll need a position from which the heavy artillery can fire from without being hit from the wall. We found this large indent," he said, pointing to a depression on the map a few miles from the outer wall.

"It would be a perfect location for our artillery to bombard the wall without running the risk of counterfire from the Wall. My scouts inform me that there is a small Earthbender patrol camped out in the area, running reconnaissance. You guys are going to join First Squad in assaulting and wiping out the Dirties. We'll need at least one dirty to interrogate, so don't flame everything you see. That's it. Dismissed."

The squad saluted, en masse, and I looked to Aoke in confusion.

"What's a Dirty?"

"Earthbenders," he replied, nonchalantly.

* * *

We deployed soon after that, marching over to the attack position in two columns, with Third Squad on the left, and First on the right. I had already put on my helmet, and was nervously scanning the horizon on either side, looking for enemies.

"Relax, kid," said a First squad soldier with a gruff voice. "If there are Dirties around here, they'll go for the rear of the column first. Middle of the column's safest place to be."

"Thanks," I replied, nervously.

"You a recruit? Camp Clupea?"

"Yeah."

"Did you have Sergeant Takano, by the way?"

"Actually, yeah; he was my drill sergeant."

A few of the men chuckled, and the firebender who was speaking to him chuckled through his helmet, sliding off the skull faceplate momentarily, revealing a bearded, rough face.

"He still a dour, grumpy bastard like before?"

I chuckled nervously, lowering my hands to my sides, walking normally.

"Yeah."

The man nodded in appreciation, sliding his faceplate back on with a grin, and the soft laughter, chatter, and chuckles from the continued.

* * *

Then, however, the First Squad's sergeant knelt, holding up a fist. Hikaru looked back at the column, making a quick succession of hand gestures, which I couldn't understand. Looking to Aoke for orders, my heart began beating faster and faster.

"What's going on?" I whispered urgently.

"Follow me; we're flanking to the left."

We crawled our way through some bushes quietly, as we neared the depression. I could see the bright white rock of the depression, as well as the faint wisp of smoke coming from its center, with the faint, harsh laughter echoing through its walls. I followed Aoke to a nearby rock, where we peeked over into the depression.

A group of earthbenders were gathered around a fire, strapping their green and tan armor on whilst they chatted. The leader, who was holding his bamboo hat in his hand. I could hear the faint _snap_ of twigs snapping as the squad got into position as a hand pressed itself into my shoulder, and Sergeant Hikaru's face appeared.

"First on the right, rookie," he whispered.

I assumed he wanted us to attack simultaneously; it was a strategy taught to us in Basic Training. I looked into the enemy squad, searching for my target, until I found him. He was a thin, gangly fellow who was working to pull his green, armored greave onto his leg. He looked young, with scraggly facial hair gracing his chin and a goofy, slightly silly face animated in laughter as he talked with a buddy.

Keita, the propaganda-obsessed man, tapped my shoulder softly.

"On the sergeant's command; pass it down."

I turned my head to look at the humorless Private Yuko, repeating the words. His helmet bobbed slightly as he passed the message down.

It seemed like an eternity; an eternity of intimate connection, of watching the man I was about to kill with intense eyes, trying desperately to ignore the basic human revulsion of killing and my hesitation.

Then from the far left, a single fireball arced towards the Earthbenders, and all hell broke loose. From all sides of the depression, fire streamed towards the Earth Kingdom soldiers, with dramatic effect; half the men went down instantly, the fire hitting vital body parts, killing them instantly. My target had reacted immediately, but as he ran towards cover, I reacted instinctively, letting a stream of fireballs towards the man.

The first three impacted on his back, throwing him forward several feet with screams of pain, then the last one hit him square in the chest, tossing him to the ground lifelessly.

In a moment, it was over. The Earthbenders below lay lifeless in the depression, and my heart was pounding more rapidly than it had ever done before, adrenaline flowing through my veins. I remember wanting to fight more, to punch something, to blow something up; the energy was exhilarating, and I, like the others, immediately popped up, intending to go down into the depression.

Then, from out of nowhere, a wave of rocks scythed out of the darkness, impacting on several benders' heads from the First Squad with a sickening _krak_.

From the opposite side came several squads of Earthbenders who began flinging rocks at us with deadly efficiency. With a scream, Private Yuko was flung backwards as a colossal rock careened into him at top velocity.

Then, reacting quickly, the squad scrambled into cover as rocks flung themselves at us. Suddenly, however, I was flung upward as the very ground itself threw me backwards, and I barely dodged several rock spikes that embedded themselves in the tree besides me. My adrenaline took over for me at that point, and I threw several fireballs in the general vicinity of the enemy. I scrambled over to Yuko's body desperately, crouching low as the _whizz_ of rock spikes flew over my body. I pulled his helmet off, checking for a pulse, but judging by the massive bruise on his forehead, he was gone. I rolled over; firing some more bolts at the other ridge, sliding into cover besides Aoke. The man's helm had been cracked severely, and I could see thin streams of blood falling from the gap beneath his helmet.

The man stood still for a moment, then, clapping his hands together rapidly, he released two waves of fire that crashed together concussively on the Earthbender position, tossing bodies in every direction. I fired more bolts blindly in the direction of the incoming fire, lifting my hands above the rock and releasing more. All around me, the percussive crash of rocks colliding with the ground mixed with the _fwoosh_ of fire being bended, and I simply crouched there, screaming at the top of my lungs in fear as the sounds of war raged around me.

Soon, I was being shaken by firm hands on my shoulder, and as my vision cleared, I was startled to see the face of Sergeant Hikaru looking into mine.

"Get a hold of yourself, Private Lee. Keep firing!" he shouted over the din, sprinting forward to the next position.

Trembling, I peeked over the lip of the rock, only to duck back down again as boulders bounced off our rock with concussive force. I glanced over at Aoke, who was laying on the ground, bleeding. I rushed over to him, tearing his helmet off, but I felt a faint pulse. His chestpiece was dented inwards, and it looked like he had taken a direct hit. I looked around wildly, seeing the zealot Keita shooting firebolts without hesitation.

"Death to the enemies of the Fire Nation!" he bellowed, sending a wave of fire towards the distant enemies.

"Keita," I bellowed. "Aoke's been hit; he needs help!"

Glancing over, Keita took stock of the situation, ducking back under his rock cover as rock spikes _whizzed_ overhead. A ridge of rock exploded out from where he had just been, and he glanced at it with a bemused expression. Then, pumping his legs into action, he sprinted across the small gap, sliding into a roll, landing perfectly near Aoke and I as another wave of rock spikes sliced by.

"I'll take care of him, kid; keep firing."

The rest of the battle is dim in my memory now, as it was then; in a battle, your instincts take over at a certain point, and the battle sort of turns into a blurry mess. I remember staying by the rock, firing blast after blast of fire until Keita was shaking me.

"It's over, rookie. Stop," he snarled.

Panting heavily, I ducked under the rock, listening.

There was only silence as the sharp smell of smoke wafted by and the faint _crackle_ of bushes burning murmured in the background.

"All clear!" shouted someone on the other side of the ridge, and the squad stood up gradually. I stood, in a daze, and I immediately tore off my helmet and took gulps of the fresh air in. The faint smoke burned my lungs, but I stared up in the sky, panting and sweating as voices began to shout back to one another.

Aoke's chest had been bandaged by Keita, who sat on a nearby boulder, gulping down water from his canteen. Then, taking one last swig, then handing the bottle to me.

"Drink some, kid. You've been screaming more than I have."

Gratefully, I took the water and gulped it down greedily, relishing the cool liquid's caressing feel.

Fujiko, the girl, emerged from the brush, and glanced at me impassively, turning her attention to Aoke.

"What happened to him?"

"Took a boulder to the chest," I gasped, leaning against a rock.

She crouched by him, checking his wound and inspecting his face. Then, standing, she looked at him with a faint expression of sadness.

"You'll want to go to the left, to Sergeant Hikaru. He needs to tell you something."

I nodded, and walked down the line slowly, leaving my helmet and gear behind casually. I gingerly stepped over the shards of boulders, looking at the opposite ridge. Distant figures in Fire Nation uniforms picked through the tangle of Earth Kingdom dead, picking up wounded from both sides from time to time.

I arrived at Sergeant Hikaru's spot before long, and stopped in my tracks. Two bodies in Fire Nation uniforms lay lifeless by his feet, and the sergeant looked at me with sadness, lifting a tarp over each of their bodies, but not before glimpses of their faces were burned into my mind.

"I'm sorry, private. Take your time," he said, laying a hand on my shoulder.

A mounting rage built up in my chest, and I shrugged his hand off, crouching by the two bodies. Hiro and Liao both stared into the sky blankly with lifeless eyes, and I crouched by them as the rage, frustration, and relief bled through and I began sobbing to myself.

It wasn't strictly for my two friends, either; it wasn't as simple as that. It was a mixture of pent-up fear from waiting for the mission, the complete terror I had felt during the battle, and the frustration and sadness at Hiro and Liao's untimely death. These all clashed in me, and I simply sat there, crouching by my two buddies, crying my eyes out.

* * *

That first battle changed me in many ways. Third Squad had taken heavy casualties, and was once again severely undermanned.

Private Yuko, the grim, hard-faced veteran of the Battle of Serpent's Pass and the Western Earth Kingdom Campaigns was killed by a single rock that killed him instantly. He had been twenty five years old; he was from Fire Fountain City. He had been a fisherman before the war, had volunteered, and was now dead after many years of exemplary service.

Corporal Aoke, the friendly, outgoing specialist that had befriended me instantly, was headed back to the Fire Nation after a boulder broke his ribcage, severely wounding him.

And my friends, Privates Hiro and Liao, fresh off the carriage, had been killed after Earthbenders tunneled beneath the depression and ambushed them from behind. Hiro had been the son of a military family from the Capital, and had been, by all rights, an exemplary soldier that showed great promise. Yet it had taken a single sword to slice him, and his destiny was severed forever.

Private Liao was twenty two when he died; a farmer from Shihuang Island, he had joined to make some extra cash, discovered he was a firebender, and had been killed in his first engagement.

The veteran First Squad had been almost completely decimated, also. Sergeant Ryouta, the leader of the First Squad, had been quietly killed by what had been identified as the Third Company of the Fourth Earth King's Legion. Only three people from First Squad survived; the rest, all hardened veterans, had perished.

Yet the toll we took on the enemy was significant. The Earth Kingdom Third Company had been completely decimated by our forces, starting with the advance party in the depression. Intelligence officers later told us that the Third was on its way to ambush outgoing Fire Nation patrols from Teshima.

We also took one prisoner, a Corporal who had surrendered after his company was killed to the last man. After coercion from some of the Intelligence officers, he gave up detailed plans of the Earth Kingdom's activities around Ba Sing Se, allowing General Iroh to deploy forces and clear the area surrounding Ba Sing Se of Earth Kingdom troops.

When we returned to the tent, Sergeant Hikaru allowed me to go through my friends' stuff and write any letters that I wanted. I found addresses to both, and wrote basically the same letter to both sets of families:

* * *

Here is the letter I wrote to the family of Hiro- whose father turned out to be General Mak of the Fire Nation Third Army.

_Dear General Mak,_

_It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that your son, Hiro, fell in battle today. My name is Private Qin Lee, and I consider Hiro to be a close friend; we were in Basic Training together, and both of us were the top firebenders in our class. Hiro was a man of few words; yet his shyness hid an overbearing confidence in everything that he did. He was one of the most skilled firebenders I've ever met, and I count myself lucky to have known him. It is with my deepest sorrow that I write to you now, General Mak._

_Sincerely,_

_Private Qin Lee_

* * *

I remember, during basic, there was an instance where we were running war games against another company, and Hiro decided to prank the other side. He managed to get himself an armband, and, grinning from ear to ear, proceeded to quietly burn the belts off every man in the company without being noticed. Upon returning to our lines, the distant shouts of embarrassment and shock echoed through the hills of Camp Clupea, and Liao and myself congratulated him on a job well done.

I guess we weren't the closest of friends; after all, I made many closer friendships than I had with Liao and Hiro. Yet the bond that we shared, having endured Sergeant Takano's abuse, having become men through Basic Training, made it painful to lose them so quickly. It was so sudden, so quick…

* * *

I turn now to yet another one of Fire Lord Zuko's memoirs, in which he details his feelings during the chaotic Hekeng Crisis of thirty years ago. Hekeng was a tough battle, and I barely missed being deployed there; some of my buddies were in that battle though, and from what I heard, it was hell.

"_In retrospect, having known the intentions of the Dai Li and their plans of Earth Kingdom reunification, I was justified in intervening in that city. Yet at the time, doubts were the only thing I could think of. Of course, my sense of duty towards the Fire Nation citizens that had survived through two days and nights of bloodthirsty rioting and imprisonment motivated the military intervention that resulted, but in the midst of the fighting and bloodshed, I could think of little else except the fact that I killed these men. When the Earth Kingdom Legion assaulted our position, when my soldiers; my people were falling like bundles of rock, I truly became acquainted with the bitter taste of war. It was nothing like Yu Dao, where no one died; we lost many men on that cursed battlefield, and I felt that it was my fault. _

_It is only in retrospect, having attended so many memorials, having spoken to so many veterans of the battle that I learned that not once did those soldiers think of me. Humbling as it may be, they fought for the redemption of our great nation, their own personal honor, and the safety of their family and friends. It was a sense of duty that propelled the men, and it was not duty to me._

_Honor, duty, love, and redemption are things that I have struggled with and looked for throughout my life. Although I would fight again many times, and take lives many times in the future, I would always remember that what I did, I did for my people, and my honor. _

_To do otherwise would be to drive oneself insane."_

(_The Pursuit of Honor_, page 122, vol. I)

* * *

As I write these words, I feel nothing but sadness and age. These events happened so long ago, that it's sometimes taken extensive research and hours of thinking to piece these together in a way that is exciting or at least interesting.

My daughter sometimes asks me why I did the things I did and how I felt about fighting for the wrong side, and for almost enacting genocide on the Earth Kingdom; after all, I was the one relaying orders that were vital in keeping our ship afloat; and had it not been for that _ridiculous_ ploy that Councilman Sokka pulled on the crew (don't even get me started on that), we would have burned the Earth Kingdom to the ground.

After the war, when the crews of the Airship fleet were apprehended and judged, I remember Firelord Zuko, young as he was, stopping by my cell as I awaited my judgment. Having been an Imperial Firebender, I clearly sported the tattoo of the Imperial Firebenders, a stylized flame on the right shoulder. When I bowed, he crouched in front of my cell, and motioned me to rise.

"You were on those airships?" he asked, quietly.

In my defense, we had never been fully briefed on the specifics of the mission; all we knew was that we were launching an invasion of sorts on the Earth Kingdom; we were just as surprised as everyone else when they started flaming the landscape, but since we were usually Imperial Firebenders, we simply accepted this and moved on. It's what we were conditioned to do.

"I was, Fire Lord. I have no excuse. I was on the airship that your friends commandeered, and I regret ever stepping foot on it."

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't have you locked away forever for war crimes."

I remember looking up at the young fire lord, desperately. I had no way of knowing how he was as a person, what he was like, or what he even thought of me. All I could see was the glaring, hateful burn mark that scarred his face.

"My Lord, I probably should be locked up. For six years I've fought in this blasted war, and I've served as an Imperial Firebender for two of those. I've done things I'm not proud of, and I regret many things, but I won't lie or grovel, my lord. I'm an honest man, my lord, and if that is what my punishment is, then I shall gladly serve it for the Fire Nation."

The young fire lord had been silent then, and then had spoken up.

"My uncle would have said that an honest man deserves a second chance."

"I served under your uncle for the Siege of Ba Sing Se, my lord, and he was the most honest man I've ever met."

The Fire Lord had been surprised by this, and had been silent for a time, thinking.

"You're an honorable man, Lieutenant Lee. I think we're similar people, Lieutenant; we both have something to apologize for, and we've both done bad in life. For people like us, honor becomes all we have left."

He had thanked me for my time, then, and had left my cell with his guard.

I learned later that he had asked his uncle about me, and, luckily, Iroh had remembered me from my later friendship with his son. In the end, I served three months for having been in the Phoenix King's armada, but I was released quickly and I returned to Varrus soon after that.

Some of the other guys, the really crazy ones that were ideological, and some of those captains got harsher sentences, and they deserved them. I remember one guy had become an Imperial firebender after massacring a village's inhabitants. It's the sickos like that that really give me the creeps.

But its the excuse of all those who fought for the Fire Nation during the War that 'we were simply following orders'. Yet it was people like Fire Lord Zuko, Admiral Jeong Jeong, and some of the other deserters that refused to follow our flawed government's insane orders and stood in defiance to Fire Lord Ozai. I, unfortunately, was not one of those brave men. I merely accepted it as the way things were and moved on; and I regret every moment of it.

* * *

**Next episode, we begin the final preparations for the Six Hundred Day Siege of Ba Sing Se. A lot of the situations in this story are actually loosely based of Stephen Ambrose's masterpiece _Band of Brothers_, which follows a WWII Parachute Infantry Regiment throughout the war. An avid WWII history buff myself, I found many of the surprisingly human interactions in the book to be quite interesting, so I'll be expanding on elements of that story. For fellow _Band of Brothers_ fans, expect to see some Speirs-like action in the near future. **

**As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. I promise it gets good. **

**Sincerely,**

**-IGdude117**


	5. Chapter 5: The Calm Before the Storm

94 AG late summer- Camp Teshima

In the wake of that patrol, the Third Squad's activity increased dramatically as we were called upon for a variety of missions. Several days after the first patrol, we went on another one where we skirted the perimeter of Baozhai Forest to the Southwest of the outer wall, but we weren't engaged in any skirmishes for several patrols. Many of them were uneventful, and we warily collected reconnaissance and information on the Dirties' fortifications.

General Iroh's efforts to clear the surrounding area around Ba Sing Se were very successful, as his leadership of the armies and his generals' tactical prowess ensured that the Earth Kingdom defensive forces were pushed back into the city.

To the North, the 12th Division, under General Shota, routed the Earth Kingdom in a series of massive clashes called the "Northern Skirmishes". Rumors around Camp Teshima had it that the legendary Yuyan Archers had been present during the battle.

"My buddy swore he saw one of them hit a man off the top of the wall from three miles away," soldiers would tell me.

Others talked about the Eastern campaign to clear the Eastern plains, where rumors told that the Dragon of the West himself, with a unit of Imperial Firebenders, had eradicated three battalions of Earth Kingdom soldiers single-handedly.

* * *

Tamura's _A History of the World _accurately paints a picture of the Clearance Campaign, as it was called.

"_It was, of course, of no surprise that Crown Prince Iroh, due to his extensive training in Firebending and his tactical training, led the First Army during the Clearance Campaign with great skill. It was here, in fact, that the traditional Fire Nation tactical doctrine of the later stages of the Hundred Years' War was formed; General Iroh would often utilize Artillery strikes, Firebenders, and Komodo-Rhino cavalry to punch through Earthbender lines decisively, followed by exploitations of the gap by regular infantry. Often referred to as "The Dragon's Breath", this tactic was most notably used to good effect in the siege of the Northern Water Tribe in the last days of 99 AG. In fact, had it not been for the appearance of the Avatar during the very battle, Admiral Zhao's invasion would have likely been successful."_

I know that the modern Fire Nation military, and the United Forces study the "Dragon's Breath" tactic extensively, but I've always thought that our victories in clearing the outside of Ba Sing Se was mainly our numerical superiority; given that the majority of the city was brainwashed into thinking there was no war (which we found out later) and the relatively low number of Earth Military recruits, the Fire Nation vastly outnumbered Earth Kingdom defensive armies in most encounters.

Our squad, however, did get into several more skirmishes before hell truly broke loose. Once again, as my memory is fading today, I've provided several journal entries that give insight into what it was truly like at that time.

* * *

_94 A.G- Summer, Day 168_

_We went on another patrol today, to the west of Ba Sing Se. The entire 122__nd__ Regiment marched out to preliminary positions surrounding the city, where increased Earthbender raids were giving the boys in the 20__th__ division some problems. We've basically been fending off Earthbender raids for several nights now. _

_I've lost track of how many fireballs I've bended, how many streams I've conjured, and how many men I've killed. Each man, after a while, becomes a faceless figure in green and tan uniforms. It's easier that way. There's no sense of elation, however. I don't punch my fists in the air with each kill, like Keita does. He spouts lines of the Fire Nation's Manifesto whilst bending waves of fire. _

_I always think of that one man, however; my first kill. The thin farmer we ambushed on my first patrol. I'll always remember him; his confused, startled expression as my fireball arced into his chest._

* * *

_94 A.G- Summer, Day 170_

_We're dug in pretty deep now. The Engineer Corps made wood-reinforced trenches for us to hide in, although I don't trust it one bit. Those buffoons seem to forget that we're fighting an enemy that can manipulate the ground among us. _

_We've been fighting off raids for the last… month, I think. The entire 32__nd__ Division has. General Bujing visited us on the front the other day. We had to stand in formation the whole damn time while he inspected us. I haven't stood at attention since Basic Training. _

_Bujing is a stern, uncompromising man that some of the others say sends regiments into battle for the sole purpose of creating a distraction; wouldn't surprise me. That man's eyes were so cold it made me shiver. _

_Our new regimental commander visited us today, and some of the men are understandably hesitant; Colonel Okada caught it in a raid a few nights ago, so Colonel Lu Ten, firstborn of Iroh, was given command of our regiment. He's fresh off the boat, so the men don't know what to think yet. Some respect him for his family name; others fear that he's a simple greenie fresh from the homeland. _

_We'll see._

* * *

_94 A.G- Summer, Day 173. _

_We caught it bad today. We held off a massive assault from a secondary gate somewhere. Intelligence says it was three Battalions of the Earth Kingdom Fourth Legion. All I know is that the bodies are strewn all in front of our positions. _

_I've been firebending almost nonstop lately. The go-to move throughout this campaign has undoubtedly been the fireball (or the Fire Fist, as Tanako would call it), and it has helped me out a lot. Sakai nearly got hit by a rock spike, but he ducked down to pick up his glasses in the nick of time. I guess the Professor has more luck than he puts on._

_We lost a few more replacements, also. A couple rookies got flattened by a giant boulder thrown from the wall, and some guys from Third Squad got hit, too. Good men, not anymore. _

_Aoke rejoined us today. It was interesting, seeing my old buddy get back from healing his broken chest. It's been a few months since that last patrol, and both he and I can hardly believe how much has changed. Now I'm a cold bastard with the wit of a serpent, I guess. _

Looking back, my writing skills may not have been the best, but it's interesting to see how much I changed from the first patrol to the last few days before the Siege. The multitude of skirmishes that I was in changed the nervousness that I had had in the first battle into steely determination. I don't remember exactly the second or third men I killed, but I always remember the first one.

* * *

The 122nd Regiment, my regiment, was the first of three Firebender Regiments in the 32nd Division under General Bujing. Turns out my knack for knowing important people would continue, as our very own General Bujing was the very same one that Prince Zuko interrupted and was scarred for later on in the war. Funny how things work out.

After having spent two weeks in Camp Teshima, the 32nd Division was reassigned to the Western side of Ba Sing Se, where we were to reinforce the 20th Division. As I noted in my journal, we were entrenched in earthen fortifications, which was an extremely stupid decision, as was shown later. Many times, earthbenders would tunnel through the ground and pop up in the middle of our lines, wreak havoc, and disappear. It wasn't until after the start of the Siege that we received iron plates to shield our trenches from infiltration.

We stayed in our positions for a month or two as General Iroh made the final preparations to beginning the Siege. Behind us, the artillery regiments were setting up their trebuchets in anticipation of bombarding the walls, and rumors flew around the First Army about when the invasion would start.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, a letter from General Iroh was circulated around the army.

I remember sitting by a campfire, chatting with Private Fujiko (whom I had befriended by convincing her I _wasn't_ a complete idiot), Sakai, and Okada when Sergeant Hikaru walked by and handed out this letter, which I still have to this day.

* * *

_Soldiers, Firebenders, and Cavalrymen of the First Army:_

_Tomorrow, we shall embark on our final journey and the last great conquest of the glorious Fire Nation. For many years, our country and my family have struggled to attain our rightful place in the world. Many of us, as we all know, have shed blood, lost friends, and sacrificed much in securing the perimeter of this Great City. The eyes of the Fire Nation are upon you, my brothers, on this day of days. _

_What I ask of you is hard. After all, it is not without reason that Ba Sing Se is called the "Unbreakable City." Many generations of men, not just Fire Nation, have tried to tame this great city, and none have succeeded. Even the Great Chin the Conqueror, the Rebel King, could not subjugate this strong city. Many of us have fought hard to dent these great, broad walls, without any effect, and many have died for little gain. _

_But this is the year 94 AG. Much has changed from our past attempts. We have now the greatest force in Fire Nation history poised to descend upon this city in the name of the Fire Nation. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers, firebenders, Komodo-Rhinos, and trebuchets are ready for their final test in the flames of war; and I have every confidence that you will succeed. _

_So good luck. And let us break the Unbreakable City in the name of Firelord Azulon, Fire Lord Sozin, and the great Fire Nation that will soon be the undisputed master of the world!_

_May the Spirits guide you._

_Crown Prince Iroh I_

"What a speech," I noted wryly after finishing it.

"I wonder if he wrote it himself or if he had some poor sucker from the Capital come out here and compose it himself," asked Fujiko, elbowing Sakai in the ribs.

"Why are you asking me? I dropped out, remember? You guys always forget that," he complained, rubbing his ribs in pain.

"We're merely acknowledging your great intellectual superiority, Professor Sakai," I said mockingly, sipping from my metal tea cup gratefully.

We all laughed, slapping Sakai on the back jovially.

Then, the mood changed, and we were suddenly silent.

"Tomorrow's the big day, I guess," I pointed out soberly, sipping softly from my cup again.

Fujiko snorted derisively.

"Way to figure _that_ one out, genius," she said, chewing thoughtfully on a duck-chicken egg.

"You scared, Lee?" Sakai teased, wiping his glasses off.

I punched him in the shoulder indignantly, drawing another round of laughs, yet inside my now scratched, dented, and dirtied armor, I shifted uncomfortably.

The truth was, yes. I was scared. Yet the fear that I had that night wasn't the same type of fear, the same type of terror that I had had the first night. That first night, your head swirls with unanswered questions and the wild imaginings of your head. Yet as a veteran, having gone through many skirmishes and battles, my body and mind already knew what was coming; the desperate, arbitrary battle that could just as easily end in death as it could victory.

* * *

That night, our squad, or, at least, the veterans, concentrated on polishing our dirtied armor to its formerly pristine quality. We had received a new shipment of recruits a few days ago, and I could see those kids sitting awake in their tents, no doubt apprehensively thinking about the battle to come.

I remember opening my bag and staring at my white, iron skull plate. When I had first arrived, it had been pristinely white; unblemished and pure. Now, however, having worn it through many battles, it was dented, scratched and singed around the edges.

Here, I traced a long parallel scratch that had been the result of a near-miss from a Dirty soldier's blade, which had reminded me well of why we wear helmets. There, I brushed against a dent where a grazing rock spike had narrowly missed going into the helmet's eye slit, but had instead bounced off a tree weirdly.

I remember spending much of that night restoring my gear and thinking about life in general. It had been nearly half a year since I had departed home to attend basic training. It had been half a year since I had made the acquaintances of Hiro and Liao, and it had been only three months since they had been killed.

Aoke had returned several days later, but he had returned a changed man; the once outgoing, humorous self had been replaced by a grim, dour man who was often silent. Corporal Okada often said that going back to the homeland, then returning into battle once more changed a man, and I could see that in Aoke's faraway stares and late-reacting responses.

Ironically, my closest friend had become Fujiko. After my friends died, she began taking a more sympathetic approach to me, and we ended up next to each other in our marching column when the division was moving to the west. Many of the days we spent traveling were taken up by lengthy discussions with the once-cold woman, and we quickly became friends.

Fujiko was pretty, that much was obvious, and her scar somehow made her even more beautiful. Her short, black hair hung down loosely, barely obscuring a long, parallel scar that ran down her cheek from an Earth Kingdom soldier's halberd. She had long, flowing features and a slender body that wasn't too bad, but her defined muscles were also obvious under her uniform.

Yet, strangely, I never thought of her in a romantic way. As I learned more about her, I just felt respect for her and admiration.

Fujiko was born in the Fire Nation colony of Shuyang, to the west of the Earth Kingdom. She grew up in a simple farming family until, when she was twelve; her village was raided and destroyed by an attacking Earth Kingdom army. It had been then that her overriding hatred of Earthbenders had begun.

She wandered around the country after that, running errands for various criminal gangs and triads, until she stole from a crime boss in the colony of Hekeng, and joined the Army at the age of seventeen.

She had then discovered her talent of firebending, and had been regarded by many to be a very skilled firebender. Prior to my joining the company, she had served in the company for three years and had even earned the prestigious Dragonbone Medal, which had been given to her by General Iroh himself.

"He smelled like green tea," she liked to tell people, "and was a little chubby, but I could tell from his eyes that he could kill me as easily as he brewed tea."

We often talked about our hometowns, however. I'd tell her about growing up in Varron, about visiting the fish market, watching the ships go to and from the docks, and cheering at the side of the road whenever soldiers marched through.

For her, she described the idyllic years of her youth in Shuyang-playing with her friends in the rolling hills, working extensive hours in the fields with her friends and family, nights around the campfire telling stories.

What was often curious was that each of us wished we had each others' life. For me, I missed the sense of belonging, surety, and simplicity that she had had as a child. For her, it was the city life and growing up in relative wealth.

* * *

Nearer to the middle of the night, I was woken for guard duty, and I gathered my spear and shield up and traveled to the trench, looking across the long plains at the distant, tan walls of Ba Sing Se. I stood there for a time, simply watching the dim lights of Earth Kingdom sentries walking across the walls and the dim lights of the interior city. I wondered if, on the walls, some Earth Kingdom soldier was looking towards our lines, regarding the distant campfires and tents with curiosity.

I was startled by the sound of skidding rocks, but I saw that it was just Fujiko sliding in the trench.

"Hey," she said, leaning her head on her hands on the trench lip, gazing across the plains.

Then, after a time of silence, she spoke.

"You ready for tomorrow?"

"I guess," I replied, uncertainly.

"Just do your job and stay alive," she said, advising him.

I chuckled softly, picking at a chip in the shaft of my spear.

"I know the drill; I'm not a recruit anymore."

She chuckled, idly sharpening her knife as she stared at the city.

"It's a beautiful city. It's a shame we can't see it from the inside," I noted.

She nodded in agreement.

"I'll hand it to those dirties, they know how to build cities. And I'm sure we'll see it from the inside soon enough. As soon as we break through those walls, the city's toast; we can take the entire city after that."

"The Wall hasn't fallen in ten thousand years, they say," I pointed out.

"They used to say that the Dragons couldn't be killed, but the Dragon of the West certainly showed them, right? Legends are made to be despised, Qin Lee. I don't put any stock in them, and neither should you."

I stopped talking then, and we sat there for the rest of my shift, staring at the distant wall and quietly chatting in the dim light of the trench torches.

In his memoirs, Avatar Aang said that _"the silence before an unavoidable battle is terrifying and comforting at the same time."_

Of course, he was talking about the days before the Day of Black Sun, but the same principle applied to me before the Siege.

The great walls of the city that I knew would be spewing rock and crawling with Earth Soldiers were to me at that moment terrifying and beautiful. I suppose it's another one of those "War is Hell" moments, but it was certainly my emotion during that time.

I've talked with several other veterans, and they all agreed with my assessment of the calm before the storm. One guy from the 12th Division put it quite well.

"_It was like a forbidden city that is perpetually just out of reach. Like that old spirit tale of Fu the Fat; whenever he would reach for the bananas, it would shrink from his grasp, and whenever he would try to drink the water, it would dry up. That is the closest I can describe the effect Ba Sing Se had on me. It was truly the greatest city on earth. A sprawling metropolis that, like Fu's forbidden fruit, could never be held down and could never be captured."_

* * *

**The tension builds. Next episode, the Six Hundred Days begins and our hero is thrust into the heart of the storm. **

**Thanks for sticking with me through this story and thanks for all the reviews and favorites! It helps.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**IGdude117**


	6. Chapter 6: The Siege Begins

94 AG- The Western Front

It began in the morning with the sound of marching feet and the distant crash of rock on rock. As I woke up suddenly, the sounds of shouting, marching feet, and clanking equipment filled the air.

It was time.

Hurriedly, we put on our armor, gathered our gear, and joined the streams of soldiers marching to the front. I found my way behind Fujiko and Sergeant Hikaru. All around us were soldiers; the white faceplates of firebenders formed white waves intermixed with red and black uniforms. The red rimmed helmets of Infantrymen and the thickets of halberds, spears and swords shined brightly in the morning light. Behind us, swarms of Komodo-Rhino riders crawled slowly forward, teams of two riders looking towards the city expectantly.

With another succession of clanking metal sounds, a volley of massive fire-coated rocks arced towards the city, one volley after another exploding on the distant wall with concussive force.

Soldiers began pouring into the trench works en masse, and I found my way to the frontlines alongside my squad and other Firebenders. Although my faceplate blocked much of my vision, the sight was inspiring. Stretching into a colossal line, extending into the horizon, the white faceplates of three entire regiments of Firebenders speckled the trench works throughout the western front.

* * *

"_Even in the distance, we could see the iconic white skull of the Firebending corps. Our officers tried calming us down, but several men tried to run in fear. We all knew those helmets well; many of the wall guardsmen had come from the villages that the Fire Nation had attacked first. The story was always the same, too. First came the ash pouring from the heavens, then the hordes of skull-faced heartless monsters who spewed flames from their hands and took no prisoners. _

_So when we looked over the ramparts at the seemingly infinite number of white helmets, with swarms of supporting infantry, cavalry, and artillery, the sense of dread hit every man hard. Today was the day that the Fire Nation would attack. _

_Some stuck to the strength of our walls, but the older veterans, who had faced the Fire Nation in the past, knew that the Fire Nation would not be stopped by simple rock."_

An infantryman on the Eastern side wrote that in his journal on the day of the siege.

* * *

Behind us, men were running to and fro as throngs of infantrymen milled idly, waiting for action. Sergeant Hikaru walked through the lip of the trench.

"Prepare to fire," he shouted, and all the firebenders readied their fists in anticipation.

Then, down the line, sergeants from the many squads bellowed the word fire, and a deluge of flames erupted from the Fire Nation lines.

What I didn't know at the time was the recent military technology developed by the military at this time. Blasting Jelly, which had been discovered in the Fire Nation, was found to have extremely volatile properties that made it invaluable as an explosive.

As a result crates of blasting jelly were shipped to the front line and used to coat the rock missiles being used for the trebuchets.

Also, it scared the living daylights out of all of us firebenders when our fireballs exploded concussively on the distant wall, breaking chunks off. Aoke, a few places down from me, chuckled to himself as he bended large fireballs towards the wall.

Then came the return fire—a flurry of activity erupted on the wall, and colossal rocks were suddenly hurled toward our lines. Screams of pain and fear erupted as large boulders careened into the trench lines, flattening scores of Infantrymen and Firebenders alike.

"Get to cover," bellowed another sergeant, and the men hurriedly ducked beneath the metal walls of the trench as rocks crashed into the ground with percussive explosions.

* * *

The artillery tradeoff continued for hours as the infantry in the trenches slowly filtered into the pre-constructed metal bunkers that were embedded in the trenches. Our squad hunkered into a dimly lit metal bunker, and as the distant _thumps_ of rocks crashing into both Ba Sing Se's wall and our lines.

"Are these things even safe?" asked a nervous replacement, from the corner.

We all looked at the replacement, then at Sakai in expectation. The man sighed in exasperation, pushing his glasses up in annoyance.

"I can't say for sure, given that I haven't actually _seen_ a field test with one of these bunkers, but I'd say yes, they are safe. It would take a battalion of Earthbenders all concentrating on this one spot to begin crushing it from the outside, and I doubt that they can get close enough to do enough damage."

Relieved, the rookie leaned back in the corner, quickly falling asleep. Aoke sat in the corner curled up, his soft snoring emanating from the mass of armor that was him. A few other replacements and Yuko all slept in peaceful slumber in various positions around the bunker.

"How long do you give it until they come out?" I asked grimly.

Corporal Okada shifted his leaning position, peeking out of the corner of his eye.

"Either tonight or early tomorrow. They'll want to disable the artillery. Its probably breaking through the wall faster than they can fix it."

There was a murmur of assent as the men nodded in agreement.

"Any idea how many casualties?"

Okada stretched slightly and sat up, giving up his attempt at falling asleep.

"The Regulars lost a lot of guys. I think I heard the Prince say it was around three hundred from all three of our Infantry regiments."

"Why are they even here right now?" asked Fujiko, coldly.

"We'll only need them once we break through the outer wall; they're useless until then."

Okada smirked slightly.

"Hey, if some poor bastard in the Infantry Corps gets it instead of me, I ain't complaining."

The men nodded in agreement again.

"What do you guys think about Prince Lu Ten," asked Okada, after a while.

"We haven't been in the bad stuff yet, but he seems competent so far. He reacted well when we started getting return fire; he issued the order to hunker down here only when the counter fire got to be too bad."

"If any of his fathers rubbed off on him, he'll be a fine leader," said Fujiko, who leaned against the metal wall in exhaustion.

"I guess we'll see tomorrow, then," I pointed out.

After that, the discussion died out, and we went to sleep, tired after a long day.

* * *

The attack came sooner than expected. It seemed like almost immediately after I fell asleep that shouts of "To Arms" came from the outside. Simultaneously, we all woke up with a start, and, realizing what was happening, hurriedly crammed on our helmets and rushed outside.

The dim light of the torches showed swarms of men rushing out of the bunkers and onto the trench lip. I peeked over the ramparts curiously, only to duck down as rock splinters and arrows came hissing above my head. From the brief glimpse I could see, there were a lot of enemies.

There were flashes of red and orange as benders began firing into the oncoming horde, and some Regulars began firing arrows. I popped over the lip several times, bending fireballs left and right into the distant crowd.

Above us, artillery began falling into the oncoming attack, and throngs of men fell over, burning to death from the tarry oil of the rock missiles.

Earth soldiers were falling by the hundreds, but the horde kept coming inexorably, ignoring its losses like a maddened bull.

"Over the top!"

Men began swarming over the trench, charging into the oncoming horde with shouts of "For the Fire Nation!"

I remember looking at them as if they were insane, but then feeling curiously inspired as adrenaline flowed through my body rapidly.

"What the…" murmured Fujiko.

Then, Sergeant Hikaru, too, vaulted the trench wall, and we instinctively followed suit. Wherever the sarge went, we went.

I ran through the darkness, bending fireball after fireball towards the approaching horde, and, as we neared their lines, we drew our swords and readied flames in our hands.

We crashed into the line quickly, and we were flung into battle immediately.

To my left, an Earth Soldier came, screaming in anger, with a billed pike, stabbing it towards my midriff, which I barely dodged. Reacting, he swung it, trying to catch me off balance, but I ducked beneath his pike and lunged forward, driving my sword into his chest with a shout.

A pair of arms grabbed me from behind, and I instinctively formed fire jets from my fists and stabbed backwards, being rewarded with a scream of pain. I swirled around instinctively, taking a split moment to size up the reeling Earthbender, then I flung him away with a full powered fire blast to the center of his chest.

A few Earth soldiers then surrounded me, and we were motionless for a second in the broiling melee, until I took the initiative.

I lunged towards the first man, ducking beneath his clumsy sword swing, and I plunged my blade into his leg, eliciting a scream. I abandoned the sword hurriedly and turned my shoulder towards an oncoming axe blade, resulting in the blade grazing my shoulder pad, ripping through the leather armor. As the man struggled to regain his balance, I kicked my leg into his abdomen, sending him flying with a ferocious blast of fire from my boot. The last man sprinted at me, flinging chunks of earth at me with his bending.

A large chunk caught me in the head, catching me off balance and knocking my helmet off. My head felt dim and dizzy, and as I fell back, pillars of rock burst from the ground, encasing my hands and feet in unyielding rock. The man grinned in triumph, and was about to send a rock spike through my throat when a blast of fire caught him off guard, felling him instantly, the rock pillars collapsing into dirt. I knelt on the ground, blindly taking a hand, finding myself staring into the face of Prince Lu Ten.

"Let's get these bastards," he said, and together, we began flinging fireballs into a group of oncoming Earth Soldiers, knocking several to the ground. Then, as he drew a curved sword, we once again threw ourselves into the melee.

The battle went on for what seemed like forever. Besides the snippets I described above, I can remember very little about the battle itself. I do remember snippets, however. I remember ducking under another man's spear thrust and disarming him swiftly, stabbing his own spear quickly into his chest, killing him instantly.

After what seemed like an eternity of pure adrenaline and reflex, the battle was over, and the dim rays of sunlight were beginning to light up the sky. All around us lay bodies, Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom both.

I once again found myself next to Prince Lu Ten, and I nodded towards him thankfully. The man had been a firebending beast, sweeping away scores of enemies with waves of flame and even using his father's trademark "fire breath" move, exhaling waves of fire towards his enemies.

"Thank you, sir."

The Prince was silent, his bloodied face reflective as he limply held his dented, blood-smeared sword in exhaustion. Then, turning, he nodded back.

"What's your name, soldier?"

"Private Qin Lee, sir. 13th Company."

The Prince nodded silently, and I left him alone, bowing towards him and looking for my squad. As I gingerly stepped over bodies, I realized that my arm was hurting very badly and realized that it had been sliced open and was bleeding quite profusely.

With a surge of panic, I knelt on the ground and hurriedly wrapped the wound in bandages from my pouch and stemmed the bleeding, gritting my teeth against the dull stinging that lit my arm on fire.

Then, as I sat on an Earth Soldier's body in exhaustion, I looked around.

The fields that had been previously bare were now full of bodies. The hulking carcasses of Komodo Rhinos lay alongside cracked skull faceplates and the mangled bodies of Regulars.

* * *

When I found my squad again, I was dismayed to find that Sergeant Hikaru had been severely wounded. An Earthbender's rock spike had punctured his armor, and he had been rushed to the rear field hospital for an operation.

"Who's our officer now?" Sakai asked, sitting on the dusty metal of the trench in exhaustion.

We had all made it back to the trenches, and gaggles of Fire Nation soldiers were slowly filtering back into the trench system in exhaustion. The 32nd Division, it appeared had taken heavy casualties, and fresh troops were filtering forward to reinforce the forward position.

Corporal Okada looked up blankly, a vacant look in his eyes. Hikaru had been a mentor and close friend to Okada, we knew, so we had left him alone when we returned to the trench.

"I suppose I am," he murmured, running his hands through his blood-matted hair tiredly.

Then we simply sat there in silence, lying on the floor of the trench in pure utter exhaustion.

* * *

Yet that battle was only the beginning of our problems. I have supplied some more journal entries to give a sense of the long days of the Siege in lieu of direct description; its easier this way.

_Day 23 of the Siege, Summer 94 AG._

_There was another assault today, around noon. They tried coming through the bottom of the trench like they did before but found their way blocked by our metal plates; finally something that works against these bastards. _

_Anyways, they popped out of the ground in front of us en masse like possum-dogs or something. We fought them for a good three hours before some Komodo Rhinos from the 22__nd__ Regiment routed them. _

_Sakai nearly got it again; his helmet barely prevented a rock spike from impaling his head; just goes to show how important it is to wear the skull every day. _

_I'm tired now, and it feels like there'll be another assault soon. All I can seem to hear now and forever is that damned screaming sound that our artillery makes when the projectiles are going towards the wall. Colonel Lu Ten says we've made a lot of progress. _

_He spends a lot of time with the Thirteenth Company; maybe because Captain Jirou has been leading our company in the defense of the line well. Compared to the other companies in the regiment, in fact, we've had the smallest amount of casualties since the war started. _

_Day 50, Summer 94 AG_

_Another replacement got killed today. We had a large force of dirties try to overrun the positions from the front, but we managed to hold them off. A few guys got hit by rock spikes, however. Colonel Lu Ten and the Tenth Company attacked them from the flank, and we managed to rout them quickly. Those guys never learn._

* * *

_Day 100, Fall 94 AG_

_The days are getting colder. We've been in these lines for nearly three months with no rest. Nightly raids, counterattacks, and artillery strikes have worn my nerves down. And every day there is that damned sound of the artillery pounding away at a wall that won't give up. Curse the dirties and their precious wall. They just don't give up, do they?_

_Prince Lu Ten sent out another patrol to the wall to assess damage. We left in the middle of the night and barely avoided a few wall patrols. The damage is quite extensive, however. The wall is pockmarked and damaged, and cracks splay from the wall like spider webs. The Dirties seemingly try to repair the wall with their bending, but it's only a half-done job, and the damage is still extensive. _

_I've been here for too damn long._

* * *

The siege dragged on for the 122nd Regiment, which saw only several brief rest periods in Camp Teshima before it was thrown back into the battle. The days grew colder and colder, and in the trenches, we wrapped ourselves in rags and overcoats, lighting small fires in the trenches to warm ourselves as the days stretched on and the end of the year 94 neared. The last biggest engagement we fought was against another Earthbender attack, which saw the enemy form giant rock walls and attempt to overrun us that way, which we held off using blasting jelly and specialist attacks from Aoke and the other squad specialists.

A few days after that, after several days of torrential snow and rain, the 122nd Regiment was relieved by General Kenshin's 26th Regiment in the field; we gratefully exited the dirty trenches around the city, shaking hands with the clean-shaven, fresh uniformed Firebenders of the 26th.

I remember walking up to approaching firebenders, shouting over the loud sounds of the artillery fire, and shaking hands left and right as I shouldered my pack and equipment.

"Good luck and have fun," I shouted to men.

Fujiko grinned at me and I laughed, the joyous feeling of being out of those damp trenches becoming overwhelming.

We redeployed to Camp Teshima, where most of us immediately crashed into bunks.

"Get your rest," said Corporal Okada, smiling.

"We get to go on leave tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning, Prince Lu Ten gathered the regiment in a clearing by the 122nd's tents. We stood at attention in dirty, mud-caked uniforms, with scratched and dented equipment, snow softly falling through the air and jets of steam erupting from our mouths as we breathed in the cold air. He stood at the center of the remnants of the 122nd and began to speak.

"Men," he said, looking around at each of us in turn.

"You have done your duty to the Fire Nation and have made your commanders proud. We have defended the Western line against the Earth Kingdom counterattacks for three grueling months, and we've defended them with sacrifice, bravery, and honor. I am truly proud of each and every one of you.

You now have the opportunity to go wherever you like for two weeks. Ships returning to the homeland will be departing in approximately one hour. Any men wishing to travel to the colonies can find a spot on some of our supply convoys; report to the eastern gate if you want to do so.

You have fought bravely and sacrificed much for these past months. Go now and relax with your friends and families; you have deserved it. I expect to see you in fourteen days. Until then, farewell."

The man saluted smartly, and the regiment snapped to attention, saluting the Fire Nation flag fluttering in the wind. Then, Lu Ten relaxed, and the men dispersed quickly.

We returned to our tent and everyone began gathering their packs. I smiled at Fujiko, who was packing her backpack besides me.

"Where are you gonna go?" I asked, opening my personal crate to gather my belongings.

"I have family living in the colony of Yu Dao. I think I'll go visit them. You?"

"I'm going back home to Varrus. I haven't seen my parents in forever, so I think I'll pay them a visit. You should stop by sometime; we can share a drink in the tavern down the street."

She smiled, nodding.

"I just might do that, Qin Lee. Enjoy yourself, would you? We've all deserved it."

She hefted her pack on her shoulder, winked at me, and strode out of the tent briskly.

As I rummaged through my pack, I stopped when I came across the letters I had written to Liao and Hiro's families. I hadn't gotten around to sending them, and a sense of sadness settled over me. I resolved to visit each family myself and give them the letters personally; they deserved that, at least.

* * *

I boarded a large transport ship soon after and found myself on the deck, sitting against the railing as smoke poured out of the ship's smokestack as it groaned into life, chugging along.

The deck was full of relaxing soldiers; some had the uniforms of the Fire Nation Infantry Corps, other the Firebenders. Some I recognized from other companies in my regiment, and others I had seen in the trenchworks from time to time.

"Hey you're with the Thirteenth, right?" asked a nervous voice from my left.

I looked to the side and smiled inwardly as two fresh-faced recruits, a boy and a girl, looked at me in awe. I suppose I must have made quite a sight; my armor was caked in dried mud and blood, and my helmet, which rested beside me, had wicked scratches and dents in it. I had taken to following Aoke's peculiar tradition of making scratch marks for every soldier he killed. The tally marks, twenty three of them, stretched across my left breastplate menacingly, a testament to my experience and potency.

"Yeah. Just outta the Western Line. Looking forward to going home."

The boy looked amazed, and the girl looked scared of me. I chuckled inwardly, marveling at the fact that I had ever been like them.

"What's it like? Over there, I mean," the girl asked.

I took a swig from my canteen, offering it to them, which they refused.

"Chaotic. Artillery flies above your head as the Dirties launch an assault every thirty minutes. All I know is I'm damn glad I'm out of that place," I grumbled.

The two kids shut up quickly, going back to their own business, but occasionally shooting interested glances in my direction.

* * *

When the ship pulled into Varron, I had just woken up. A feeling of relief then settled over me as the familiar sight of the Varron docks, the market stalls and the familiar stores and houses that nestled alongside the seafront. Shouldering my pack, I stepped off the ship gratefully, feeling the familiar tough wooden docks of my hometown.

As I walked down the street, I saw many familiar faces, and I had many people greet me. Taro, a fisherman that was a good friend of my mothers, bowed in my direction, his face beaming.

"Welcome back, Qin Lee; it's good to see you," he said, wrapping me in a hug.

"It's good to see you too, Taro. It's been a long time."

"What are you doing here? Are you on leave?"

"Yeah, we have two weeks' furlough."

He bowed again, and walked into the distance, smiling back at me.

As I neared my house, a tall man of about fifty stopped me.

"Did you come from Ba Sing Se?" he asked, a desperate look on his face.

"Yes, sir. I'm on leave."

"You wouldn't happen to know a Corporal Okada, would you?"

Realization dawned on my face, and I bowed deeply to the man.

"You must be Okada's father. Corporal Okada is my commanding officer and a close friend."

The man smiled the truth registering.

"You must be Qin Lee, then. My son mentioned you in a few letters a while ago. Where is he?"

"He told me that he's going to visit a friend in the Colony of Dajing for a day; he said he'll be arriving here tomorrow."

Okada's father thanked me extensively, and offered to host me for dinner, but I politely refused.

"I would like to see my parents; my apologies."

We then bowed to each other, and I continued walking to our house. Then, pausing outside the door, I stared at my house. It seemed so… unreal; that after months of fighting, death, and destruction, I would be back here, my home. I quietly walked to the door and knocked quietly, waiting for a response as I set my pack on the ground.

The door opened and my mother stood there. For a moment, her face was shocked, and then, after realizing who I was, her eyes filled with tears and she hugged me tightly, crying into my shoulder. I hugged her back, and I felt tears brimming in my own eyes.

Then, after a long time in that position, she broke away, and looked into my face, smiling.

"I prayed to the spirits every night that nothing bad would happen to you. It's so good to see you, Qin Lee."

"I'm glad to be back, mother. It's been too long."

She led me into the house by my hand, and my father walked into the hallway, his nose buried in a newspaper.

"Aiko, who was at the door?" he asked.

When there was no response, he looked up, and his face also registered shock. Then, striding forward, the old man wrapped me in a hug, holding me tightly.

"When did you get back?" he asked, holding my shoulders as tears filled his eyes.

"Just a few minutes ago. I'm on leave for two weeks."

My mother and father hugged me together, and we stood there in the hallways that I had once played in, not speaking, enjoying each other's company. Being wrapped in the embrace of the two people I trusted most allowed me to relax, and it felt as if a massive weight had dropped from my shoulders.

I was home.

* * *

**Our hero is safe, but the battle rages on. It won't be long before Qin Lee must return to the front and risk certain death. Until then, however, what will our hero do? Tune in next time to find out.**

**(Sorry for the Korra-esque narration)**

**As usual, thanks for reading and please review. **

**Thanks, **

**IGdude117**


	7. Chapter 7: Rest and Recuperation

94 AG Mid Winter - The City of Varron

For the first time in a long time, I slept in. To be honest, it felt more glorious than anything ever could have felt. When I woke, I felt for the first time that I was well rested. There was no lingering fatigue like when I was on the front, being awakened by shouts of alarm or the _foom_ of fire being bended.

No, I woke up in a soft feather bed with a large pillow beneath my head and clean sheets. There was no cold metal of the bunker or the dirty rags that passed for blankets that barely warded off the cold that permeated my itchy, uncomfortable armor.

I sat up in the bed and looked around wearily. I was in my old room. On the walls hung faded propaganda posters that I had gotten from school, as well as pages from my favorite action stories and a ripped, worn out painting of Great Grandfather Yamashita, who had been a colonel under Firelord Sozin.

The door opened, and my father walked in, smiling at me.

"I'll bet it feels good to be in a real bed, right? I imagined. How long has it been since you've been in this room?"

I scratched my head, thinking.

"A little more than a year, I'd say. I don't really remember things as well anymore."

"Well, your mother and I are going to a restaurant for breakfast. If you want to join us, feel free to, but take your time. I know you need your rest."

I stood from the bed, stretching.

"Its fine, Dad; I'll come. I want to see the city again."

My father nodded in satisfaction and left the room. I looked around, thinking about what I would wear outside. I opened my drawer, smiling in amusement when I looked at the clothes that I knew would no longer fit my muscled form.

I opened my pack and took out my clean dress uniform, and quickly buttoned the fatigues up. I had just readied it completely when my mother knocked at the door softly, glancing in.

"Someone from the Army's here to see you, Qin Lee."

Her face looked worried, and a jolt of fear ran through me; were they revoking the furlough? Were they redeploying us? Was the siege failing? I walked down the stair briskly, and stopped at the door, coming face-to face with Okada.

The man grinned and wrapped me in a bear hug.

"It's good to see you, Qin Lee."

"It's only been a day, sir," I said with a grin.

He smiled and held out a small box. Confused, I grabbed it, and was startled to find a Corporal's insignia staring up at me. The gold-trimmed lining that would eventually be sown on my uniforms shone brightly.

"I'm being promoted?"

The man nodded with a grin, shaking my hand.

"Aoke, the bastard, got transferred back to the homeland to train recruits. I'm Sergeant Okada now, and you and Fujiko are being bumped up to Corporals; Fujiko's my second, and you're my specialist. Congratulations."

I smiled gratefully, but felt a sense of sadness for Aoke.

The man, as of late, had been withdrawn, silent, and reserved. Being wounded in the Patrol back then had changed him a lot; he no longer made jokes, laughed, or even seemed to enjoy himself. I hoped inwardly that the man would find some peace and quiet wherever he was to be transferred, and wished him the utmost luck.

I bowed to Okada gratefully, which he returned.

"I'm gonna go spend some time with my father, but let's grab a drink in the evening, eh? My treat. There are a few other vets in the city that I'll invite and we'll share a pint in the tavern, alright?"

I smiled, nodding, and saluted to Okada, who stiffly returned the gesture, walking back down the street with a grin on his face.

"A comrade of yours?" asked my father, curiously.

"Yeah. He's my commanding officer. I got promoted to Corporal, and he got Sergeant."

My father smiled.

"Congratulations, Qin Lee. That's great news. Let's celebrate over breakfast."

* * *

We walked a few blocks away to a small restaurant that overlooked the seafront. My parents, obviously having repeated this tradition many times, went immediately to a small corner table in the side of the restaurant. I noticed that as I wound my way through the tables, my uniform's distinctive gray, black and red colors, with the small flame insignia on my collar that denoted a Firebender, drew many looks from different people.

I passed one table where a young boy of seven or eight smiled broadly towards me, saluting in my direction. His parents reprimanded him, but I winked once and saluted back, exciting the child immensely.

I passed another table that was occupied by three women that were around my age, and I caught the eye of a beautiful girl with a long, elegant face and flowing brown hair. She looked at me curiously, then blushed red as I walked by, accompanied by her friend's giggles. As I sat down, I winked at her, and she turned away quickly, blushing a deep color of red.

"That's the Mayor's daughter, Qin Lee," my mother whispered, smiling with a knowing expression.

I blushed slightly too.

"Mother, please. I'm just having a bit of fun."

* * *

It's funny, really. On that first day, everything seemed so… strange. For these people, life was normally progressing, a daily routine. Yet in my mind, I was a stranger. It had been but a few days since I was in Ba Sing Se, ducking from flying rocks, and now I was in a café, eating breakfast with my parents.

"A soldier can never truly adjust to civilian life," says Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe, in his memoir _Ice Within, Ice Without._

"You spend every day thinking of what you went through, and simply forgetting the events, while achievable, is extremely difficult."

* * *

As I ate with my parents and we talked about their daily lives, I would notice things that would instantly take me back to the Siege. A bird flying overhead, a passing Fire Navy ship, or the loud sound of a box being dropped would set me on edge. It was a miracle I didn't burn the place down out of nerves.

We spent the day walking around town, talking about each others' life. My father talked about the rising shipping costs and the lost fleets that he was struggling with, what with the Siege and the heightened Fire Navy patrols.

My mother talked about how she and some of the other mothers were working at the local healers, and helped to heal wounded soldiers who passed through the town.

I talked a little, and only recounted light stories, making sure to ignore the darker parts of my service as of yet. I talked about my, Liao, Hiro's escapades in Basic Training, the pranks we pulled on other squads, and the fun we had on the few times we were given leave to the nearby village.

I remember telling them the story of when Hiro, Liao and I went to the local tavern while on leave, and proceeded to get thoroughly intoxicated and steal a herd of sheep, much to the displeasure of Sergeant Takano.

Each story, they would laugh at, and I would smile knowingly, stowing away the inner darkness, fear, and regret that swirled around me.

* * *

By the time we returned home, it was getting dark, and I remembered my promise to Okada.

I quickly said goodbye to my parents and set off down the street, towards the tavern, when I passed girl I had winked at earlier. I almost passed her by, simply nodding, when I threw caution to the wind. I walked up to her and bowed, and she blushed slightly.

"Ma'am, I just wanted to apologize if I made you uncomfortable today in the restaurant. My social skills are less than satisfactory, I'm afraid."

She looked at me, smiling slyly, red splotches on her cheeks.

"Its okay, Qin Lee. I understand."

"You know my name?"

"We were in the same geography class back at the Academy."

I scrutinized her for a moment, then remembered the young girl who had sat several rows in front of me and had been silent the entire time.

"Ayako, right? That was a long time ago; I didn't recognize you. My apologies."

She smiled sweetly.

"That's okay. I know you have places to go, so I won't take any more of your time. I'll see you around, Qin Lee," she said, walking away.

I looked at her, slightly awestruck for a while, then cleared my head and walked down to the tavern. I walked in, and was instantly greeted by a chorus of greetings.

Okada walked up to me and shoved a cup of _Kasao_ (rice wine, for you non-Fire Nation folks) and introduced me to the others.

They were mostly Regulars, but there were a couple Firebenders in the group. Most of them were from the Third Army, which was fighting around Omashu under General Shu. One Firebender was from the famous Southern Raiders, and had just returned from a raid on the Southern Water Tribe, where Commander Yon Rha had supposedly killed the last Waterbender in the tribe.

Unbeknownst to me and him, he had unwittingly witnessed the beginning of the end for the Fire Nation, as the last waterbender he spoke of was none other than Kya, the mother of the famous Katara of the South, whose death spurred her daughter to help the Avatar take down the Fire Nation.

But of course we didn't know that, and we spent the night drinking, talking and toasting.

It had gotten very late, but a dizzy Okada stood from the table and lifted his glass.

"I… I propose a toast," he slurred.

"To General Iroh; may the siege come to a speedy conclusion."

We all lifted our glasses and cheered, drawing the eyes of a group of men on the far corner of the bar. One man looked angrily at us. We eyed the man suspiciously, taking note of a water tribe necklace that the man was wearing on his belt.

"Hey… is that guy wearing a _Water Tribe_ necklace? Isn't that traitorous?" asked one of the others, slowly.

Okada nodded, and he lurched to his feet noisily, pointing at the man.

"Hey… you," he shouted, stumbling forward.

"Take that necklace off… you… you _coward_."

The bar went silent, and the group of men eyed us with hatred, standing from their table. We lurched to our feet in preparation as the two groups eyed each other hatefully. Then, growling softly, Okada bended two jets of flames from each of his fists. Sensing that he was about to attack, I sprinted forward and held him back as he tried lunging forward.

"You bastards are living the high life in the homeland, wearing enemy _trinkets_, while GOOD MEN DIE IN THE EARTH KINGDOM!" he bellowed, feebly trying to attack the men, who left quickly.

"OUR COMRADES ARE DYING, YOU_ COWARDS_! AND YOU REPAY THEM BY SHAMING THEIR MEMORY. NONE OF YOU _PEASANTS_ ARE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT WE SACRIFICED, ARE YOU?!" he bellowed.

The bartender glared at us, pointing towards the door. I propped Okada up, holding his shoulder, and I waved towards the others, said goodbye, and set a handful of silver pieces on the counter, apologizing silently to the bartender.

We lurched out of the tavern and stumbled down the street towards Okada's house. Okada was quietly mumbling words to himself drowsily as I helped him down the street.

Then, he was silent.

"Six years. Six… damn years I've been fighting in this damn war. And for what? A pair of Sergeant Chevrons and a bigger pay? I've seen things, Qin Lee. I've seen our troop's massacre villages and burn them to the ground. I've seen Regulars line Earth Kingdom prisoners along a ditch and execute them all without a second glance. I've seen officers order the execution of innocent women and children. Six years, Qin Lee. You see things."

I eventually got him back to his house, where he collapsed in his bed and lay there silently, staring up at the ceiling. His words had gotten to me however; of course, I had heard the rumors of Fire Nation crimes, but Okada, my officer, validated them. And it scared me.

* * *

General Iroh once told me that "War is like an open flame; it can get bigger and hotter, but in the end, everything is in ashes."

I believed it when he told me, and I believe it to this day.

* * *

I spent the next few days in Varron, simply resting and recuperating. I spent much of my time catching up with my parents, my old friends, and getting to know Ayako much better.

We spent a lot of time walking through the city, basking in the warm summer sunlight and enjoying the smell, sounds, and fresh air of the port city. We would talk of many things; I told her stories from Basic Training and Ba Sing Se, which she would listen to attentively, and she would tell me stories about her schooling in the Royal Fire Academy for Girls in the capital.

On the last day of the first week, as I made my preparations to travel, I asked Ayako a favor.

"Ayako," I told her.

"I've spent the last week getting to know you quite well, and I was wondering if there was any way I could write to you from the front. I like you a lot, Ayako, and it would comfort me greatly if you'd grant this favor to me."

She smiled.

"I'd be honored, Qin Lee. I want you to have this."

She reached into her jacket and pulled out an exquisite golden watch with the national insignia carved in with intricate, waving designs. I tried to give it back, but she stubbornly refused to take it back.

"Keep it. I want you to have it."

Then, she kissed me on the lips and walked out, glancing over her shoulder at me as she walked down the street.

I stood on the front steps in a sort of shock; until I heard my parents walk up behind me, and I quickly stuffed the watch into my pocket.

"Are you sure you have to leave so early? Why don't you stay a little while longer?" my mother asked, a look of concern plastered on her face.

"I'm sure. I owe it to Hiro and Liao to tell their families personally. I need this, mom."

They both hugged me tightly, and my mother began crying softly.

"Take care of yourself, son," my father whispered. "May you bring great honor to our family name."

I broke away gently and bowed deeply, shouldering my pack, and smiling. My parents smiled back sadly as I turned and walked towards the pier, where a large transport ship waited. I walked down the street for a few blocks when I saw Okada. I changed direction and walked towards him; he noticed me and smiled, waving.

He took note of my bag and clothes.

"Leaving already?"

"I need to talk to Hiro and Liao's parents. I… I just need to tell them what their sons meant to me."

Okada nodded knowingly, laying a hand on my shoulder.

"You're a good man, Qin Lee. I wish you the greatest of luck. I'll see you back there soon, Corporal."

We grinned at each other and saluted smartly, and we went on our separate ways.

* * *

During the time I spent in Varron, several important things occurred in the world that you, the reader, should take note of:

"_The First Army around Ba Sing Se, during the waning days of the year 94 AG, saw several major setbacks, many of which were directly a result of the logistical error on the part of General Iroh that saw many hardened veteran Firebender regiments be given a two week furlough, which was taken advantage of immediately by the vaunted Dai Li organization. _

_Dai Li undercover agents in the Fire Nation army pulled off a chain of disastrous sabotage attacks that crippled, delayed, and severely damaged many artillery pieces on the Western Front. Several entire companies of trebuchets were rendered inoperable due to severe damage caused by the premature detonation of blasting jelly. _

_It was in the wake of this chain of attacks that the Earth Kingdom's Fifth Legion launched a concentrated assault all throughout the Western front, breaking in several areas. Attempts were made to recall the veteran 34__th__, 26__th__, and 122__nd__ Firebender Regiments, but the sudden appearance of a pack of hostile sea serpents (thought to have been lured there by Earth Kingdom operatives) blockaded Camp Teshima and several other instrumental staging points, preventing the hardened regiments from being mustered. _

_Land runners did manage, however, to reach General Shu's Third Army, which was stationed around Omashu. Given that the Third was primarily engaged in intercepting convoys, due to the inaccessibility of the city itself, General Shu saw no hesitation in redeploying a large portion of his army towards Ba Sing Se. Unfortunately, the expedition was forced to traverse the treacherous Great Central Desert in order to reach Chameleon Bay, the closest Fire Nation staging point the expedition could reach. _

_Notably including a young Lieutenant by the name of Zhao, who disappeared briefly with a squad into Wan Shi Tong's Library, the expedition reinforced the embattled First Army and was instrumental in once again pushing the Earth Kingdom forces back into the city. Ironically, this resurgence, primarily due to the great mobility that the Third Army expedition showed and the resilience and cunning of Commander Yoshiro (who was filling in for General Iroh, who had returned briefly to the Capital), came only a day before the veteran Regiments were scheduled to return."_

_-Tamura, "A Complete History of the World, Volume 3, page 102_

* * *

To put things in perspective, I've pieced together dates as best I could.

I joined the army in the latter stages of 93 AG after graduating from Varron Academy. I had a brief two week waiting period, then I was sent to the Earth Kingdom where I entered Basic Training for three months. Then, in the summer of 94 AG, I and my friends were deployed to Ba Sing Se, where I spent much of that year in nonstop combat. Then, in the winter of 94 AG, my regiment was relieved, and we were given a two week furlough in the days leading up to the New Year. The year 95 AG was imminently looming over us. Little did we know that that year would spell certain doom for the First Army and begin the downward spiral of the Fire Nation's power.

* * *

**And that completes chapter 7 of our epic journey. I know some of you guys probably like the military explosion stuff better, but I really wanted to do as much as I could to put a face on the faceless enemy that we see in the show. I promise that this feelsey stuff will only last another few chapters at most. Rest assured, there will be much more sparky sparky boom boom scenes than lovey dovey ones (sorry, I'm tired.)**

**Thanks for reading!**

**IGdude117**


	8. Chapter 8: Remember the Fallen

Late Winter 94 AG- The Island of Hakka

The dirt road stretched in front of me as the long, water-filled rice paddies of the village of Kusu stretched into the distance. It had taken me a day of traveling and asking locals to find the place, but I had located it. It was a small hut, nestled in the corner of a small rice paddy, and as I walked towards it, I noticed lots of brief glances from passing pedestrians who eyed my black and red fatigues and my corporal's insignia with curiosity.

I arrived at the hut and paused a moment, shouldering my pack as I briefly massaged my aching legs; I had been walking for quite some time, as the village was far inland.

An older woman glanced out the door, and, looking over my uniform, took on a saddened look and walked outside, drying her hands on her apron.

"Who are you and what do you want?" she asked gruffly.

I took a deep breath, pushing the urge to tear up aside, and spoke.

"My name is Corporal Qin Lee and I was a friend of your son's. We went through basic training together, and I just wanted to let you know that Liao was a very close friend of mine."

Her face was startled, and she wiped away a tear as she beckoned me towards the house.

"Come inside, Corporal."

The house was rustic in nature, but was furnished relatively well. There was an old table in the center of the living room, with a roaring fireplace in the corner, and a separate wing of the house where I could see a bed and cupboards.

The woman set out a pot of tea with two glasses and began speaking as she poured the two cups.

"How did you know Liao?"

"I met him in Basic Training. We were in the same squad, and we became close friends throughout training. Your son was a brave man; he died for his country."

She nodded silently, sipping her tea.

"When they gave me his belongings, I didn't know quite how to react. He had a brother that died in a storm when he was twelve and his father died when he turned sixteen. When they gave me his urn and his personal belongings, it took a while for his death to sink in. Then… it hit me later."

She looked up, her eyes bloodshot and a sad expression on her face.

"Tell me; did his death matter? Did my son die for the Fire Nation?"

I sipped at the tea quietly.

"Your son died for his country, miss. He died in glorious battle against the villainous enemy and took a position that allowed our forces to begin the siege of Ba Sing Se."

She drank deeply from the glass, nodding. Then, she got up, opened a cabinet, and set a bottle of _Kasao_ on the table.

"You want a drink, Corporal?"

I shook my head politely, and she shrugged slightly, and poured herself a glass of the drink.

There was a long silence, then I threw caution to the wind and poured myself a glass, gulping down the firey liquid greedily.

"Tell me about Liao."

She sighed, setting her glass of _Kasao_ back down.

"He was always a kind boy. When he was born, we had no way of knowing that he had _the gift_. Out here in the country, we don't have fire sages that tell us if our children have been blessed with bending. He was a funny child, though, and he worked very well with his brother and father in the fields. At school, he was a fine pupil, and was, according to some of the others in this village, a loyal and brave kid. As much as he enjoyed working in the fields and helping this family, however, he yearned in his heart for adventure. So when he turned eighteen, he said his goodbyes and joined the Fire Nation Army after a recruiter came through the village."

I nodded, taking another glass, and we spent the rest of the night talking about Liao, life, and the war, drinking all the while. By the time I was thoroughly drunk, I noticed that it was dark outside, and Liao's mother gave me Liao's old room.

* * *

I staggered in, and was surprised to see that it resembled my own. On the wall were tattered posters and paintings, and he had a small wooden desk that supported a small stack of books that were worn and well-used.

As I collapsed into Liao's bed, I reflected on him, and I agreed with what his mother had said earlier; Liao was simply a nice young man who was caught up in things he should have never been involved in.

I woke up early and I quickly packed my things in my rucksack and left Liao's room. In the kitchen, Liao's mother stood, finishing a collection of rice dumplings that she put in a small wooden box and handed it to me.

"Thank you, Corporal, for coming here. It… it helps knowing that he had people that loved him. I thank you for your kindness, and I wish you well."

She bowed, which I reciprocated.

"Liao was a good man. I promise to you that his death won't be in vain; we'll win this thing."

She nodded, and I walked out of the house, and she followed me to the door.

"Corporal," she whispered, putting her hand on the door.

I stopped, looking back at her questioningly.

"Make sure those bastards pay. Burn their city to the ground," she said, a menacing look on her wizened, wrinkled face.

I saluted smartly, anger burning in my gut.

"You have my word."

* * *

I spent the next few days making my way to the Capital city, but my passage was not as swift as it had been previously. Unbeknownst to me, a massive armada was being prepared to attack Ba Sing Se from the north, and heightened threats of infiltrated Earth Kingdom soldiers resulted in stringent patrols and checks.

* * *

By the time my boat docked at the Fire Nation Capital, there were only three days before I had to return to Camp Teshima. As I stepped off the boat, gazing up at the towering dormant volcano that housed the Capital's Inner City, I was surprised to see the familiar face of General Iroh and Prince Lu Ten stepping waiting near a shop. Lu Ten caught my eye and approached me with a large smile, saluting.

"Corporal Lee; long time no see."

"Yes, sir," I replied, saluting.

He waved my salute away.

"Please, Corporal. We're on leave; you don't need to salute."

"Yes, sir."

Lu Ten grinned and walked over to his father who smiled at the two of us.

"Father, this is a soldier from the Thirteenth Company I was telling you about."

The General studied my face and I idly wondered if he remembered giving me my position all those months ago during graduation.

"Ahh, yes-I remember. You're the man I recommended to Colonel Oda."

"Yes, sir. I didn't think you'd remember, sir."

Iroh chuckled.

"I rarely forget a face, Corporal. And you're the only one I recommended to Colonel Oda, who, by the way, agreed to put you on a list of possible recruits. Tell me, Corporal; what brings you to the Capital?"

"I wanted to see General Mak, sir. I- I was a friend of his son's."

Iroh's expression went serious, and he nodded.

"A worthy quest, to be sure. General Mak usually only accepts appointments, especially when he's on leave, but as luck would have it, my son and I are passing the same way. Come with us, and I'll make sure to get you into Mak's estate."

* * *

A Royal Palanquin arrived soon, and I reluctantly joined the Crown Prince and his son. Although I grew up in relative wealth, I still saw the Royal Family and the life of nobles as being an unattainable, rich lifestyle that only the best of the best could become a part of. It was surreal, really, riding in a Royal Palanquin alongside the Dragon of the West and my commanding officer.

"Tell me, Corporal; how do you think the siege is going so far?" Iroh asked at length.

"Well, sir, it seems to be going quite well."

"You don't need to sugarcoat things, Corporal Lee. Tell the truth."

I hesitated, the doctrines of the Fire Nation coming to mind.

"Well, sir… it seems that the wall simply won't break. The Artillery corps are taking a toll on the wall's integrity, but the Earthbenders repair the wall with dirt and rock as fast as we can tear it down. I've been on patrols to the wall several times, General, and I see how they do it; at night, they just bend the rock to fill the gaps. We're losing too many men as it is. "

Iroh nodded thoughtfully, and Lu Ten stared blankly out the window, silent.

"How do you think we should penetrate the wall, then, Corporal? The Artillery Corps are the only things we have."

"I don't know, sir. All I know is that we need to get into the walls before the First Army is wiped out."

The General nodded thoughtfully, and as the palanquin continued up the hill, the conversation went silent as all its occupants descended into deep thought and reflection.

After a while, we entered the streets of the Capital, and I peeked out of the palanquin in amazement. I had seen pictures of the Capital City before, naturally, but it was still amazing. The walls of the volcano stretched far above us, and great swathes of the city were plunged into darkness by the jagged edges of the crater. Rows and rows of towering buildings and rich-looking mansions spread out, and people dressed in elegant dresses, military uniforms, and nobleman robes walked the streets, going about their daily lives.

Far in the center, the jet-black spire of the Royal Palace jutted out from a circle of dead ground, where swarms of people, soldiers, and servants milled around.

"General Mak's mansion is coming up here. I'll join you; I've been meaning to talk with the good General."

* * *

We stopped by a squat, rich-looking mansion where a few firebenders stood guard. They perked up as the palanquin stopped by, and the bowed deeply as the General exited the palanquin, followed by me.

"Prince Iroh," one of the Firebenders said.

"We were not expecting your presence. What may I do for you, sir?"

"My compatriot and I were hoping to speak to the General. Would we be able to do so?"

The man hesitated.

"General Mak ordered us to turn away all visitors, but I can double check, sir."

He gestured for one of his fellow guards to go check, and the man returned after several minutes of terse silence.

"General Mak would be pleased to receive you and your friend, General Iroh," the guard said.

We were ushered into the house, where the General and his beautiful wife were waiting. General Mak was renowned throughout the Fire Nation as the youngest man to become a general in Fire Nation history. He had led his regiment skillfully throughout the Western Earth Kingdom Campaign, and he had been given his Generalship at the young age of thirty eight; an age never thought possible.

"Prince Iroh, you honor me with your presence. What may we do for you?"

Iroh gestured for the man to stand wearily.

"General, please. You are too qualified a man to bow to one such as myself. My friend here desired an audience with you, and I wished to join him so that I could offer you my condolences about your son. I believe this young man has a similar purpose, but I'll leave him to it."

Iroh saluted to the general, and walked out of the house, nodding towards me, leaving me in the living room with General Mak and his wife. The General gestured towards a nearby chair, and he and his wife sat down.

"Tell me, Corporal; what business do you have, coming here?" he asked, his voice grim.

I began sweating in embarrassment as he and his wife studied me.

"Sir and ma'am, I just wanted to offer you my deepest condolences for your son's death."

Mak arched his eyebrow, leaning back in his chair.

"I met your son in Basic Training and served with him for the months leading up to the Siege of Ba Sing Se. Your son was a close friend of mine, and I miss him every day. In training, he and I were the most skilled firebenders in our class, and I respected him greatly. He was the bravest, most loyal man I've ever known, and I just wanted to let you know that he died in battle, serving his country, and he would have wanted it that way."

I took a deep breath afterwards; it had felt good to let that out. It had been forming in my mind for quite some time, and saying it out loud felt good.

The couple was silent, and Mak's wife rubbed her eyes, struggling with tears. Mak's hard expression softened into one of sorrow, and he touched his wife's shoulder gently.

"Thank you, Corporal, for coming here; I appreciate your coming all the way over here to tell us this."

"I have these two letters, also, General," I said, holding the two envelopes towards the General.

He took them gently, and stood, saluting stiffly. I saluted back, and he nodded respectfully.

"Thank you, Corporal. It comforts me to know that he had trusted comrades when he fell."

With that, he dismissed me, and I left the mansion, bought a carriage, and rode back to the docks where I promptly boarded a Fire Navy ship and began my journey with great reluctance back to the Front.

* * *

In his memoir, Councilman Sokka had this to say about his experiences in the War.

"_Although I have no claim to being a hardened warrior who has fought in scores of engagements, as my father, some of the men I fought alongside, and countless others I've come across, I can contribute a little about the effect war has on us. _

_On the Day of Black Sun, I was as ready as anyone could be. I was prepared, in my mind, to potentially face the Firelord himself, and lead the world into a new era of peace alongside my trusted friends and allies; we had assembled a potent force with which we hoped to do the impossible; defeat the Fire Nation on its own turf. However, I was also ready to do the opposite; nervous as I was, I always confronted the possibility that I would fall in battle. _

_On our way to the staging point of the invasion, all I could think about, even as my sister went on her escapades with Fire Nation villagers and as, as I called him, Sparky Sparky Boom Man (I was never adept in my naming skills) hunted us—thanks, Zuko—I could think of little else but the possibility of my death. _

_Of course, when the entire invasion landed flat like a pile of Tiger-Boar stool, my fears were realized, and I was forced to abandon my army to the mercies of the Fire Nation. _

_A lot of people suffered during their internment, and I blame myself for that failure every time. Of course, it was but a temporary setback to the eventual victory, but nevertheless, my failure there and the things I witnessed will stay with me to my dying day."_

-From _My Life and Stuff_, page 321.

* * *

It was interesting, actually, that the Fire Lord invited me and my family to the Palace the other night for dinner. We were honored to accept, of course, but I was admittedly confused about the reason for this. He explained it when we arrived that night.

"For some reason, my interview with you directly after the war has stuck with me for quite some time. I've thought on it for quite a while, and I remember now why I found that so interesting. Of all the men I interviewed, you were one of only a few that directly took responsibility for your actions. Many of your comrades begged for mercy or defied me openly and swore their allegiance to my father. You were one of a few that apologized for your action in a way that I could tell was earnest. You've also been present at some of the most interesting events in our history."

During that dinner, my wife and I talked with the Firelord and his wife extensively as Princess Iria and our daughter talked on their own. The same way I always admired the Firelord, my wife similarly admired the Fire Lady. After all, both had been fighters in some manner, and together, we all talked about the old days.

Afterwards, I told the Firelord about this memoir, and he expressed his support for my endeavor.

"The most valuable wisdom we can pass on to our children is that of experience," he told me. "We need to know about all sides of that war, not just the ones that my friends published. We need to know what it was like for the soldiers, the people in that war, and I hope that your memoir will help galvanize that movement."

In his study we then compared the many times our paths intersected, whether we were conscious of them at the time or not, and reminisced about the war.

As I write this, it has been about a month since the Firelord hosted us for dinner, and I consider both him and his wife friends, as does my wife. Our daughters often meet together and enjoy the city, and my wife and I have even hosted the Firelord and Firelady at our home several times.

It's funny how things work out.

* * *

**It is funny indeed. **

**That's it for Chapter 8; next chapter, we once again dive into the dangerous world of combat. **

**As usual, thanks for reading and please take a second to add a review; the feedback helps. **

**Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me for this story.**

**-IGdude117**


	9. Chapter 9:All Quiet on the Western Front

94 AG- One Week before the New Year, Camp Teshima.

What I noticed first upon setting foot on Earth Kingdom territory was the aftermath; me, along with a host of other returning soldiers were surprised to see that Camp Teshima had been turned into a maze of earthen fortifications, metal barricades, trenches, and pockmarked ground. There was widespread muttering amongst the returning veterans, and I stopped an Infantryman who was standing guard over the docks.

"What happened here?"

"Oh, you're from one of the veteran regiments. When you guys were gone, the Dirties launched a counteroffensive across the whole front. Pushed us back to here. Luckily, some Third Army guys arrived to reinforce us and we managed to push them back in."

I walked away in shock; in two weeks, the Dirties had pushed us back to Camp Teshima? How? Was it because we were gone? Why didn't they recall us? Questions swirled through my mind as I walked to the familiar form of Fujiko.

"Fujiko!"

"Qin Lee- It's good to see you. Do you know where Okada is?"

"No; I thought you would know, Corporal," I said, punching her playfully on the shoulder with a wry grin.

She laughed.

"I should say the same to you, Corporal Lee."

We were interrupted by the appearance of Captain Jirou, whose face was contorted into one of sadness.

"Corporal Fujiko, Corporal Lee, I have some bad news."

"What is it, sir?"

Jirou, who for the first time did not have a pipe hanging from his mouth, looked grim.

"Sergeant Okada committed suicide. You're the commanding officer of this squad now, Fujiko."

There was a moment of silence as the truth sunk in, and I simply stood there in a shock, feeling numb.

"He… committed suicide, sir?" I asked tentatively, a deep feeling of grief rising from my gut.

"I'm sorry, Corporal. You'll have to make it without Okada; I'll make sure to give more reinforcements as I get them, but we're moving out soon, so suit up."

He clasped my shoulder, grimacing slightly, and walked away to talk to some of the other sergeants, leaving Fujiko and I dumbfounded.

* * *

In an interview after the war, Captain Jirou spoke highly of his former comrade.

"_Sergeant Okada was one of the bravest men I ever knew. Like his predecessor, Sergeant Hikaru, Okada was a seasoned veteran that served this Nation and the Company with the greatest level of obedience, loyalty, and courage that I've ever seen. We had been through hell together, and as much as I trusted Hikaru, it was comforting to know that his second in command was a solid, good soldier that I could always trust. _

_We did terrible things, however. I've served my sentence for my crimes already, but we did horrifying things. We razed villages to the ground. We massacred prisoners, and we looted homes. These were all things that our officers condoned, of course, but I always felt a measure of guilt about this, and apparently he did too. _

_War does things to a man. For Okada, he kept his inner turmoil bottled up inside, and he suffered for it. Believe me when not a single man in the Company thought any less of Okada for it. In the funeral, in fact, it was listed on the official report that he was "Killed in Action", so as to spare his memory the shame that is traditionally carried with the act of suicide."_

* * *

The war, however, came first, and we were forced to put aside our shock at Okada's death and rendezvous with the rest of our squad. We walked into the tent, still in shock, and training took over as we saw our fellow squadmates strapping on their armor.

Sakai nodded towards us.

"Corporal Lee, Corporal Fujiko; good to see you. Where's the Sarge?"

Fujiko stiffened slightly.

"Sergeant Okada won't be joining us; I'm in command. We're to suit up and return to the trenches as soon as possible, where we'll be briefed by Captain Jirou."

The several new recruits nodded nervously, and a few of the older hands simply continued donning their armor. Outside, the sound of marching feet and the all-too familiar clanking sound of trebuchets releasing their payloads echoed through the camp, and we were soon in our full armor.

We joined the rest of the regiment as we marched through the serpent's pass. Interestingly, I noticed for the first time that there was an armada of ships on either side of the pass, firing trebuchets of their own.

I hurried to the side of a guy in Fourth squad who I knew a little and asked him about it.

"It's Admiral Chan's Eastern Fleet. Apparently when we were gone the serpents that gave this pass its name returned and wreaked havoc on our shipping lanes; that's why we weren't recalled."

As we crested the hill, the familiar walls of Ba Sing Se appeared in the distance, obscured by flurries of snow. The weather was quite cold, in fact, and due to the rapidity of our deployment, many of the men were in summer uniforms, with little protection from the biting cold.

* * *

As we marched towards the distant trenches, we were startled to see men all over burying piles of bodies in both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom uniforms. Earth Kingdom prisoners were busy digging pyres under the watchful eyes of Infantrymen, and piles of bloodied, ragged bodies lay strewn around in all directions.

The ground was also pockmarked, and my trained eye could tell that the area had been bombarded with heavy Earth Kingdom assaults. Everywhere we looked, in fact, the remnants of battle lay strewn about.

Spears, swords, and burned out carriages lay in piles through the white-gray wasteland, and small camps of ragged soldiers were scattered throughout the massive plains just outside of the Serpent's Pass.

"I didn't know it was this bad," I whispered to Fujiko, sliding my visor off.

Her helmet bobbed slightly.

"I had heard about the counteroffensive, but it looks like they did a number on us."

We continued walking until we were stopped by a man with Lieutenant's bars and a company of firebenders.

"Where are _you_ men headed," the man said, a slight sneer on his face.

"To our old positions to the West, Lieutenant," said Fujiko.

The man glared at us cruelly, his brow furrowing in disgust.

"You must be from the 122nd Regiment. Looks like you _fools_ came too late; you abandoned your comrades here to relax in homeland, and look how far the enemy got. You cowards disgust me."

Colonel Lu Ten walked up and glared at the Lieutenant.

"Are you finished antagonizing my men, Lieutenant Zhao? Or would you like to hold my most valuable company back from the primary defensive line? Perhaps you'd like to explain to Colonel Duan why his artillery companies are vulnerable to attack."

The man sneered briefly, bowing in an exaggerated manner.

"My apologies, _your highness_. I was merely expressing to your men the level of regard I hold for the famed 122nd Regiment, Colonel. My apologies, _sir._"

Lu Ten glared at the man, and waved the column forward once more. As we walked past, Lieutenant Zhao looked at us with a mixture of unbridled arrogance and disdain.

"Get a load of that guy, huh?" Sakai said after we had walked a sufficient distance away.

"Arrogant entitled nobleman. People like him have no respect for anything or anyone," Fujiko said.

* * *

As we neared the trench line, the concussive _crack_ of Earth Kingdom counter fire intermixed with the clang of releasing trebuchets in a deafening cacophony. We walked a while longer, then the Colonel waved us into the trenches and men began jumping down into the deep trenches, being welcomed jovially by dirty looking Regulars.

We wound our way through the trench until we reached the front most lines, and our squad made its way into a metal bunker, setting our packs and equipment down with relief. I set my pack down gratefully, and looked around at the dingy bunker. Where the metal had once been flawless and shiny, it was now worn and dented in many places. The ceiling sagged worryingly, and bloodstains covered the floor.

Fujiko set her helmet on the floor and gestured for me to do the same and we left the small bunker, emerging into the trench, ducking past running infantrymen who sprinted down the length of the trench, spears at the ready.

"We're gonna go see the Captain for our briefing, then we can go back to the bunker."

We hugged the wall slightly as a shower of rock and pebbles cascaded onto us as an enemy rock careened into the ground nearby.

We walked in silence for a while, ducking past running soldiers and saying the occasional greeting to sentries who we knew.

"How was your furlough?" I asked after a while.

She glanced back at me with a bemused expression.

"It was fine; I met up with my uncle in Yu Dao. I spent my entire furlough with him and my cousins. It was fun. You?"

"The same; I visited my family in Varron. I paid my respects to Liao's and Hiro's families. I suppose I should do the same for Oka—"

She cut me off abruptly.

"We're here."

We ducked into a bunker that had a rickety sign saying "Thirteenth Company HQ" and entered a relatively spacious bunker. In the corner, a small fire roared in a tiny fire pit, and a large table strewn with maps and equipment sat against a wall, next to a small bunk bed. Captain Jirou, once again with a pipe in the corner of his mouth, glanced upward.

"Corporal Fujiko, Corporal Lee. The Prince issued our orders for this tour and gave me some heads up. Of course, by now you've heard that the Earth Kingdom launched a counteroffensive while we were away and pushed the Fire Nation back to Camp Teshima. Luckily, an expedition from the Third Army under a General Shu relieved the pressure on the Camp and helped us push the Dirties back inside the walls.

As of now, we're one of a few active regiments manning the western lines. Our progress in penetrating the walls has been the most successful here, so we're concentrating our artillery on this front. The good news is we're due to get massive reinforcements and General Iroh himself is going to be moving the headquarters to this front. Unfortunately for us, we need to hold this position for two weeks while we wait for reinforcements to arrive."

We nodded grimly. The news sounded dim, and both Fujiko and I could tell that the fight ahead would be tough.

"Thirteenth Company is situated in the direct middle of the 122nd's stretch of trenches. We've got the Twelfth on our left flank and the Third on our right, so any frontal attacks that come our way are coming straight for us. I'm going to have to ask for near nightly wall patrols, so expect a few of those coming up. I know Third Squad has done a lot of those in our last tour, so I'll try distributing the job amongst the other squads as best as I can, but you'll have to do more than a few regardless."

We both grimaced at that point; Wall patrols were dangerous endeavors where we left the trenches at night and inspected the spot where the artillery was aiming to see what kind of damage was being sustained. Usually, a damage assessment could be made with a spyglass, but more often than not, patrols were needed to get a detailed assessment of the day's damage.

"Third Squad is one of the most under strength right now, so don't expect too much. But you guys are some of the best, and I'll be counting on you two to keep your squad in top notch condition. Corporal Fujiko, you'll be receiving your promotion in the next few days. Both of you keep up the good work. Dismissed."

We turned to go, but Jirou called my name. Fujiko paused for a moment, but I gestured for her to return to the bunker, and I saluted crisply and stood at attention. The Captain sighed deeply, breathing out another cloud of smoke, and he leaned back in his rickety chair.

"You're aware that your name is being considered for acceptance into the Imperial Firebenders? Colonel Oda inquired about you the other day."

"What did you tell him, sir?"

"I told him that you are a skilled firebender and a more than capable soldier, and that I'd assuredly recommend you for promotion into the Imperial Firebenders. Colonel Oda concurred, and we've reached an agreement; when the siege is complete, if it is at all, you'll be transferred from the Thirteenth into the Imperial Firebending Academy for advanced training."

He fell silent, and a dull feeling of shock, surprise, and glee rushed through me.

"Th… thank you, sir. I'd be honored to accept Colonel Oda's invitation, sir. Thank you."

Jirou nodded, and turned back towards his maps.

"Dismissed, Corporal."

* * *

I stumbled down the trench in a daze, shocked and confused. The fallout from Okada's death was still pulling me down, but my acceptance into the Imperial Firebenders did not, as I expected it to, lift me up. To the contrary, it filled me with a sense of confusion and conflict. Being accepted was great of course, but it would mean that I would never see Fujiko, Sakai, or any of the others ever again.

"What'd the Colonel want?" asked Shen, a replacement that had joined us close to the end of our first tour.

"I've been accepted into the Imperial Firebenders."

There was, I remember, a sort of shocked silence that settled on the bunker. All the soldiers who were lying on packs, sharpening weapons, or playing _Zhanshi_in the corner stopped and looked at me in awe.

"_The _Imperial Firebenders?" asked Gyeong, another replacement, a tint of respect in his voice.

I nodded quietly and sat next to Fujiko. Gradually, the stares of astonishment went away, but several men's stares lingered. The Imperial Firebenders were, of course, infamous.

* * *

"_The Imperial Firebenders were formed in the year127 BG by Firelord Kyozu in response to the rising number of assassination attempts during his time. Fire Nation citizens during the Hisao Revival were increasingly radical and many citizens of the period desired a permanent end to the institution of Fire Lord. In response to anarchist revolt throughout the nation and the advent of the assassin group known as "Yuon Te", the Imperial Firebenders, originally known as the "Royal Guard", served as a personal guard to the Firelord, as well as a private military of sorts. _

_Between 127 BG and 51 BG, the Imperial Firebenders defended the palace against several armed mobs during the Revolution of 112 BG and the People's Revolt of 98 BG. It was, however, in 58 BG, when Firelord Sozin took the throne, that the Royal Guard was rechristened as the "Imperial Firebenders", and was instrumental in infiltrating the Earth Kingdom city of Huangai and taking the Fire Nation's first colony. Ironically, however, Sozin's use of the Imperial Firebenders as a military organization proved to be a dangerous move, as the entirety of the Imperial Firebenders were away on a mission when Avatar Roku confronted Sozin, and resulted in the destruction of the palace and the near- assassination of Sozin. _

_Sozin, however, spent the years between 51 BG and 0 AG transforming the Imperial Firebenders into a potent force, as he chose only the most skilled and the best firebenders from the steadily growing Fire Nation Army to fill the ranks. It was during this time that the modern two tier structure of the Imperial Firebenders was established; The Imperial Firebenders are organized into two companies of one hundred men, and the total number of Imperial Firebenders never exceeds 200. Sozin, remembering the vulnerability of his palace but also knowing the military benefit of the Imperial Firebenders, organized the outfit into two companies; the First Company, known as "the Firelord's Fist" was used for tactical uses and military maneuvers; "The Fire Lord's Fist" consisted of an even mix of seasoned veterans and untested but skilled protégés. The Second Company, affectionately known as "The Royal Guard" served as a house guard of sorts, guarding individual members of the Fire Nation Royal Family wherever they went and the palace itself. _

_Through a combination of elite soldiers and a distinguished battle record during the Hundred Years' War, the Imperial Firebenders were and are to this day considered by many to be the largest concentration of Firebending masters in the Fire Nation military, and garners both respect and fear from citizens of both the Fire Nation and the world."_

_-"A History of the Fire Nation", Professor Satoru, Fire Nation Royal Academy, page 215, volume II. _

A curious fact about Imperial Firebenders is that each recruit, upon joining the organization, must survive a sparring match with the infamous Colonel Oda, who was known during the War for having 'accidentally' killed several recruits in sparring matches and severely injured several more. Oda was known as being a cold, ruthlessly loyal man who dedicated his life and the lives of his men to the protection of the Royal Family.

"They say he personally slaughtered an entire city," whispered the rumors.

"I heard that he can breathe fire and fly,"

"I heard that he executed twenty Fire Nation soldiers because they tried to retreat."

Anyways, any recruits who manage to live through Oda's sparring match are given the distinction of getting the Imperial Tattoo; a stylized, ornate version of the National Emblem with soaring eagle's wings spreading from the sides. The guys in the Imperial Firebenders called it "The Warrior's Mark", and simply being seen with that tattoo on your forearm immediately garners a lot of respect.

* * *

That night, as I stood on the trench parapet, looking over the wall towards the distant city, where the dim, orange flashes of artillery impacting exploded ferociously. To my left, a faint scraping noise could be heard, and I glanced over, nodding my helmet as Fujiko clambered out of the bunker. She climbed the short ladder and ascended to the parapet, noticing the locket that Ayako had given me.

She leaned against the trench wall idly, glancing back at a squad of Regulars jogging down the interior of the trench towards the left flank. She sighed heavily, and I slid off my visor, staring blankly towards Ba Sing Se.

"I had to get out of the bunker. Sorry."

I shrugged. The company helped. Usually, it was just me. Sometimes I'd go talk to sentries from the other squads, but most of the time it was just staring out into No Man's Land for any sign of movement and staring at the distant conflagration.

"Can you believe it's been almost a year? A year since we were in this shallow trench, looking out at the city?" She asked, leaning against the trench wall.

I shook my head in disbelief.

"So much has changed."

There was a long silence as the distant concussive blasts of missiles chipping away at the Wall echoed through No Man's Land.

"Why did he do it? Okada, I mean?"

I sighed, rubbing my eyes in exhaustion. That, of course, had been what I was thinking about for the entire day.

"When I was back home, Okada and I got drunk. He almost got into a fight with some guy wearing a Water Tribe pendant, and then he told me that he was haunted by the things he had done. I guess the prospect of going back and doing more just… bothered him too much."

She nodded, thinking quietly.

"Do you blame him?"

"No. He's been fighting this war for most of his life. He deserved a long rest."

She nodded.

"When are you joining the Imperial Firebenders?"

"If we ever win this siege, and I live through it, when we rotate back to the homeland."

She nodded once again slowly, gazing into the barren wastes between the trenches and the Walls.

"You're a good man, Qin Lee. I hope you do well."

Then, she kissed me on the cheek, and turned to walk back into the bunker.

"Sorry. I've wanted to do that for a while."

* * *

The Siege dragged on for what seemed like ages. The New Year came and went, and the year 95 AG came without fanfare or expectation. For us, it was business as usual. Battle after countless battle was fought as the enemy sought to disable the artillery that was slowly but surely chipping away at their massive walls. Each time, when the screaming hordes of peasants and soldiers would emit from some unknown door, we would be there, defying the enemy and spitting fire in their direction.

Many were lost. Each time the Earth Kingdom attacked, scores of men would go down with them. Rock spikes would impale Regulars to the trench wall, and boulders would crush firebenders and cavalry whole. Our once clean uniforms and armor slowly degraded over time, and as the winter got colder and colder, our armor became smeared in blood, dirt, and sported scores of scratches and grooves.

General Iroh came to our side, and he came by our section of the trench several times to see his son again, and each time he would nod to me respectfully, waving away my bow. It was because of the respect afforded to me by both Colonel Lu Ten and General Iroh that I came to have a reputation of sorts. I remember that people told stories about me; most were exaggerated beyond belief and reason, but they were entertaining.

They called me "The Crimson Dragon," for some reason. As cheesy as it was, it was interesting to hear the legends that resulted from my familiarity with the Dragon of the West, as well as my acceptance into the Imperial Firebenders.

"I heard that he single-handedly took out an entire regiment of Earthbenders…"

Actually, it was me and two other squads that did that, and we had artillery support as well as strong trenches; I don't know where they got the single-handed stuff, as I have nowhere near that amount of skill.

"I heard that he broke through the Wall on his own and killed the enemy general… just for the bragging rights."

Number one, if I actually pulled that one off, I _would_ be bragging about it (which I did not). Number two, If _I_ had broken through the wall, then why wasn't the entire Army inside the walls?

"I heard that he defeated Iroh in an Agni Kai…"

Well, if I had defeated Iroh in an Agni Kai, chances would be that neither of us would be at the front.

These rumors continued, however, unabated. Yet my reputation was not much of a concern as the days dragged ever onwards, and weeks, then months passed. Battle after battle was fought, and for many, it seemed like the Siege would never end; many took the only chance they saw. Some stabbed themselves with rocks and tried to pass it off as a combat wound to get back to the homeland. Others simply gave up and ended it all for themselves.

* * *

The day _it _happened, we were gathered on the ramparts, the entire army group, talking quietly to one another.

"My buddy in another regiment told me that the wall is close to breaking," whispered Shen to the others in our squad.

"I give it a week before we break through the second wall," Gyeong said, grinning.

Sakai pushed his glasses up in irritation.

"Of course not. We still have to clear the Agrarian Zone, after all…"

Fujiko shoved him into the others with a chuckle, and the squad burst into laughter, and I grinned at Fujiko as I polished my helmet. All along the trenchline, soldiers waited for their orders as they talked with a mixture of dread and excitement.

Finally, after more than a year of fighting, we had broken through. The Siege could be coming to an end soon, many whispered.

Yet deep down we all knew that the fight ahead would be fraught with difficulty and sacrifice. After all, there was an entire city to invade inside those colossal walls. Breaking through the outer layer was but the beginning.

Then, with a colossal noise of rock tumbling and a massive cloud of dust, the army silenced itself, and stared at the section of the wall, where a few loose, flaming pieces of catapult missiles tumbled into the crumbling wall. Massive sections of the wall tumbled loosely down, and a massive rent had been made in the formerly pockmarked and blackened wall. Far above, we could see the small forms of Earthbenders desperately trying to fix the hole, but it had become simply too large; the last salvo of trebuchet stones had caused a massive chain reaction in the wall.

There was a desolate silence for what seemed like forever. Then, in the distance, a figure sprinted out of the cover of the trench, holding a Fire Nation emblem.

"For the Fire Nation!" bellowed the distant voice.

We stared at the figure in astonishment, realizing that it was none other than Prince Lu Ten. Then, as our hearts leapt with the realization, a roar built its way from the trenches, and as one, thousands upon thousands of figures dressed in black and red uniforms clambered their way out of the deep trenches that had been their home for so long and charged at the distant wall, screaming oaths of defiance and victory. Fujiko glanced at me with a victorious grin, and slid her skull faceplate on, and jumped out of the trench, sprinting towards the distant wall. As one, we drew our weapons and joined her.

* * *

**Finally... we've broken through the walls of the enemy's stronghold. **

**Just kidding. **

**Sorry for the delay guys, and unfortunately it may be a while until my next update, as I have final exams coming up and I want to take a bit to pursue other things. But the next chapter is already in the works, so I promise you won't have to wait _too_ long. **

**As usual, thanks for reading. **

**Happy Summer,**

**-IGdude117**


	10. Chapter 10: Our Duty as Soldiers

95 AG- Day 522 of the Siege of Ba Sing Se

The Agrarian Zone of Ba Sing Se is a vast expanse of fields, villages, and peaceful roads that stretches onward for miles upon miles. Subdued, quiet villages house farmers who spend every day of their lives growing food for the distant inner city that they've never known. Why do they do this? Because they simply need to grow food in response to the protection offered to them by the massive walls of their Great City.

The Walls themselves are massive, and many houses are built into the wall itself. Soldiers often come through the zone, enroute to and from the massive walls and the sizable encampments. However, unlike their brethren in the inner city, the citizens of the Agrarian Zone were all too conscious of the chaotic battle that raged outside. The distant crack of rock hitting rock became a common sound for many, as did the distant, fiery flashes of light as lit rocks pounded away at the wall. Legions of soldiers passed through the many villages commonly, and the stream of wounded that returned quickly filled up the local healers and hospitals.

* * *

"_You always knew when an attack was coming,"_ says Dr. Xun Shao of the Fifth Legion's Field Hospital Corps.

"_There'd be a lot of talk amongst the enlisted men, which I would hear from my tent. The night before, the men would don their armor, their armored hats, and sharpen their weapons. The Earthbenders would spend hour upon hour throwing rocks at distant targets, and the 'krak' of rock hitting rock became routine, like the distant sound of Fire Nation artillery did. _

_Then, the camp would clear out, and then they would come back. Streams of wounded men would return, limping, crawling, and dying. Of course, the most common wound was burns. We healed a lot of those. We'd douse the wounds in water and give the boys a drink of Shaol to ease the pain. Then, we'd press leaves of the Ember Dragon plant after cleaning out the wound, and send them to the rear for special healing. Other than that, we got stab, slice, arrow, and all manner of other wounds._

_What haunts me today is the screams. Spirits, the screams. They'd scream at the slightest provocation. Moans, groans, and other exclamations became ingrained in my head so much that I'd hear them even when there were no more men left to treat. They'd cry out for their mothers, their wives, they'd plead with me to save them, or they'd pray to the Spirits to take mercy. Some men would simply lie there, with no particular wound, and simply stare blankly in the distance. We called these men the "Hollow Men", for they had no physical wound, but the war had taken from them their very soul. _

_By the time the enemy broke through, we had run out of space to stow the dying and dead."_

_-The Lost and the Damned_, page 223, Doctor Xun Shao.

* * *

As we sprinted towards the break in the wall, shouting with the fervor and zealotry of a schoolteacher, splinters of rock, massive boulders, and arrows arced down from the wall below. Men went down, screaming in pain as spikes, arrows, and boulders killed them at a rapid pace. I simply kept my head down and followed my squad.

Beside me, a few guys from Fifth Squad went down screaming as a swarm of rock spikes scythed through them. We sprinted across the wasteland, and every man's heart was beating rapidly. I know mine was. As it is when one goes into combat, my vision narrowed, and the only thing I kept in my mind was what my job was and what I would have to do.

* * *

Earlier, Captain Jirou had come around, explaining the plan.

"Our objective is to reach the Wall access stairs and take the walls. Our regiment and a few others will be securing this sector of the wall."

* * *

As we neared the hole, we could see the Earthbenders far above us hurling down boulders and desperately trying to patch the hole up. A few men with the Engineer Corp's rushed by.

"Give us some cover!" one bellowed as he lugged a large barrel full of blasting jelly.

Fujiko nodded to me, and we began shooting fireballs towards the distant ramparts, forcing the benders to duck backwards. I took a deep breath, and, summoning every bit of energy I could, summoned a massive wave of flame that I directed upwards. Several distant screams resounded through the chaos of the battle, and a few bodies tumbled down the walls.

A guy in an Engineer uniform ran up to me and started shouting.

"Fire at the barrels once everyone's through! We're blasting through!"

I nodded, and the approaching infantry paused and backed up, keeping up the stream of fireballs and arrows that they fired at the distant Earthbenders. I took a deep breath, looked at the stack of barrels, and thrust my palm out, releasing a jet of flame that lit the topmost barrel on fire. There was a moment of silence as the barrel burned, then it exploded concussively, throwing several men backwards and disintegrating the flimsy barricade that the Earthbenders had thrown up.

Stuffing my helmet back on, I helped Fujiko up and we charged through the flaming rubble, emerging in the Agrarian zone and smashing into a squad of Earthbenders who were picking themselves up. There was a moment of tense silence as the Earthbenders stared at the approaching swarms of Fire Nation infantry, and then we clashed, throwing ourselves into battle.

An Earthbender roared mightily as he lifted a massive rock to throw at me, but I lunged forward, punching him in the stomach, putting the full force of my bending into my fist, throwing him backwards several feet. A spear arced towards me from a glaring soldier, and I dodged the blade, sprinting past his guard and bending a fireball directly into his heart, tossing him aside lifelessly.

As more regulars poured in the breach, Earthbender reinforcements arrived to bolster their frail defense. Captain Jirou, a few feet away, casually blasted a group of Earth Soldiers away with a massive fireball, and then waved us forward, pointing to a massive, circular tower that hugged the wall.

"Get to the top!" he bellowed, and the different squads of the Thirteenth Company rallied briefly. Fujiko beckoned us forward, and Keita, Sakai, Gyeong, and Shen hurried over.

"Where are Ryu and Tetsuo?" she asked, referring to the two replacements that had joined a few weeks ago.

"They got hit by a boulder," Keita said, grimly.

Fujiko sighed deeply, and then looked up, removing her skull helmet, revealing her determined look.

"We're gonna take this wall once and for all, guys. Remember the mission and your fallen comrades. We're sure as hell not gonna let those Dirty bastards get the better of the Fire Nation. Let's go."

With that, she said her visor back, and Third Squad joined the streams of 13th Company soldiers filing into the cylindrical tower. As we entered, we looked up in amazement at the spiral staircase that reached up seemingly forever.

"That's a lot of walking," Sakai said.

* * *

As we climbed the stairs, our bending at the ready, the distant sounds of battle raged outside. Every few minutes, artillery would impact inside the walls, and chips of rock would shower us as we climbed. The distant sounds of swords clashing, the _foom_ of firebending, the _thoom_ of rock landing and the distant screams of dying men wailed into the cylinder menacingly.

We climbed the stairs for nearly half an hour before the sounds of fighting above us began to trickle down the stairs. The man in front of Fujiko paused, listening to something someone said in front of him. Then, his helmet turned, and his skull visor leered towards us.

"The Wall is being cleared. Squads one through five are moving to the right once we get out, five through ten are going left. Heavy resistance, pass it on."

The message made its way down the gathered men of the company, and the line kept moving.

"We're like lambs being led to slaughter," Shen whispered, nervously.

"Keep your faith in the Fire Lord, and all shall be resolved," Keita muttered in annoyance.

* * *

I caught up to Fujiko as we steadily climbed up, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"You ready?" I asked.

She snorted in derision.

"Of course. I've been damn well waiting for a year to get here."

"About that kiss…" I said, thinking back to that night in the trench.

She glanced back at me, her golden eyes glaring at me through the slits in her visor.

"That was wrong of me to do, Qin Lee. I wrongly brought personal matters into our professional relationship. Think nothing of it and move on," she said harshly.

I was taken aback slightly, startled by the woman's hostility. No matter how much I had liked Ayako, I would have been remiss if I had said I didn't have romantic feelings about Fujiko also. More so, as we had been through hell together.

I quickly regretted bringing the topic up, but as we neared the top, the thought of that left my mind, and two small flames ignited themselves in the palms of my hands as destiny and fate approached.

* * *

We emerged on the wall at long last to be greeted by utter chaos. Throngs of firebenders rushed about on the wall above, and far below, on the distant fields of mud and death, we finally got to see our forces from the enemy's point of view.

I never truly appreciated how many men were in this siege until I saw it from the wall. The horde of men darkened the ground, and the large forms of komodo-rhinos rubbed shoulders with forests of pikes, spears, and swords. The distant white dots of skull helmets studded the ground, and the distant line of trebuchets loomed threateningly in the darkness, silent for the first time in months.

Then, the distant sound of combat greeted our ears, and we moved on.

Fujiko paused for a moment, conversing with another sergeant who had just emerged from the access tower, and waved her hand to the right, where the receding forms of Firebenders and the distant flashes of combat remained just out of sight.

Then, the familiar gold-trimmed uniform of the Colonel emerged from the crowd, and a bloodied, battered Prince Lu Ten clambered on a pile of boulders, his helmet in hand.

"Men," he bellowed, shouting over the sounds of swords and bending.

"We've made it to the Wall after a year of sacrifice and blood. What we do today will echo through the annals of time. We have begun the Great Conquest of the world's Greatest City, and it has come at the hands of the Fire Nation!"

A large crowd of men began gathering around the Prince's rock. From the walls, Fire Nation archers and benders fired into the swirling melee on the distant outer zone of the city. Squadrons of men sprinted in every direction, reinforcing the fight to secure the walls. I stood amongst the crowd silently, my heart pounding as adrenaline flowed through my veins.

"The task ahead is hard, but we shall overcome it as we have every other obstacle. For we are the warriors of the Fire Nation! What we do today shall be remembered by further generations and the Spirits above. Now, for the Fire Nation and Firelord Azulon, do your duty!"

There was a massive, resounding cheer, and the crowd dispersed, going to their respective positions. Fujiko gathered the squad next to a large rampart and cleared her throat.

"Guys, we're here now, so don't mess it up. We're too close now to lose anyone. We've already lost too many members of this squad. Aoke, Okada, Yuko, Liao, Hiro, and all the other brave soldiers that have given their lives in this damned siege will be avenged. We all have grudges against the Earth Kingdom scum, so let's bring the damned fight to them for once and make them pay. Do your duty, third squad, and be careful. Move out."

And with that, and a shared glance between Fujiko and I, we moved down the wall towards a distant tower, where the sounds of swords clanging and fire exploding made its way through the din of war.

* * *

Unbeknownst to us, however, the Earth Kingdom was planning a massive counterattack at the same time. In Tamura's _History of the World_, he examines the Earth Kingdom's response, given the Dai Li's practice of brainwashing that was in its stride during the period.

"_Although those that lived in the Agrarian and Urban zones knew fully well about the Fire Nation invasion, given the disproportionate amount of refugees, action was slow to come, as the ruling government, particularly the Earth King, had little to no knowledge of the war, or the Breach. _

_Recently appointed Grand Secretariat Long Feng, however, knew fully well of the invasion, and had in fact been an active participant in anti-Fire Nation planning, having inserted Dai Li agents inside Fire Nation lines in order to cause chaos and sabotage. However, with the breach of the outer wall, he transferred full control of the military to General Mengyao, who was the leader of the Council of Five. _

_Mengyao immediately called the council together to discuss a response plan. After a day of discussions and planning, a plan was constructed that would push the Fire Nation out once and for all. Mengyao knew very well that once the Fire Nation erected more permanent defenses, like the trenchlines that zigzagged around the city, they would be very difficult to dislodge. Consequentially, he deployed the Palace Guard's First Legion, as well as the Fourteenth and Sixth Legions from their positions on uncontested sections of the city, and threw them into the fight. _

_However, it would take close to a month for the Legions to muster, rendezvous, and prepare for a direct assault, which Mengyao knew was too long of a wait. Desperately, Mengyao called the Popular Militia out of its solitude. The Popular Militia, which had been the force used to combat Chin the Conqueror's forces during the Chin War. Peasants from the Northern and Eastern sectors of the Agrarian Zone mustered quickly, were armed with spears, and were quickly sent into battle in a vain effort to maintain pressure on the Fire Nation's advance, which was quickly expanding. _

_Mengyao also redeployed wall garrison forces towards the sections of the wall that the Fire Nation possessed in an effort to take the Walls, which would have given the Earth Kingdom the so-called 'high ground' in the battle. _

_The bloodshed and chaos of the coming days would reflect Mengyao's effectiveness, but not before the Fire Nation took a bloody toll on the Earth Kingdom forces."_

_-Tamura, A Complete History of the World, Volume 3, page 124._

* * *

As night fell on that first day, the Third Squad relaxed in a captured tower on the wall, watching over the troops below and the distant section of the wall that contained enemy forces. Our battle had been ongoing for most of the day, and the Fire Nation army had made good progress on both the Walls and the Agrarian Zone below. Up above, the 122nd Regiment had led the charge in taking the Walls, and Prince Lu Ten had been very satisfied with the regiment's progress.

Progress, however, came at a price.

The casualty count was staggeringly high. The tower that we were holding had been transformed into a field hospital of sorts, and row after row of wounded soldiers filled the tower's several floors quickly. We went on top of the tower to relax after the stench became too much to handle.

Down below, the other regiments had dug in for the night, erecting crude barricades and trenches (more like ditches) in which to defend from. There had been heavy fighting for a while, then the Earth Kingdom soldiers had retreated to a nearby village to fortify their position. Every few minutes, the _crack_ of rocks flying and the distant flashes of fire would flare in the deep night as roving patrols of earthbenders probed the Fire Nation lines.

I, for one, was completely exhausted. We spread out on the top of the watchtower, laying out our bedrolls and leaning against the cold, hard ramparts in exhaustion. Sakai broke apart a few crates with his sword and started a small fire, and we all simply laid there in exhaustion, staring at the flickering flames.

Shen huddled against a stone battlement, nursing his broken arm in pain. The regimental healer had applied a crude splint for his arm, but the wound wasn't severe enough to warrant a spot down below; a simple boulder hit from an Earthbender had shattered his forearm, yet puncture wounds, lacerations, and multiple fractures took priority.

Then, after a while, the warm air opened in a massive deluge, and rain began to pour down, drenching us in water and forcing the embattled fire into a tiny one. I shifted my position, sitting up, and wrapped myself in my blanket, putting it over my head to protect myself from the rain. My helmet sat beside me; it was uncomfortable on a good day, and there was little chance of being attacked on the top of the wall.

There was an overbearing silence amongst us, and the distant sound of fighting was the only thing to be heard, the echo wafting over us like a stray breeze.

Then, Gyeong sat up, humming a familiar melody to himself. I recognized it immediately, as my mother used to sing it to me when I was little.

"Is that _Leaves From the Vine_?" I asked, smiling with the memory as I shielded myself from the pouring rain.

Gyeong grinned.

"Yeah. My father used to sing it to me."

_Leaves from the Vine_

_Falling so slow_

Below, there was a clatter of boots on rock as a squad of regulars sprinted through, their sergeant shouting orders to them as they ran towards the distant enemy quadrant of the wall.

_Like fragile, tiny shells_

_Drifting in the foam_

Keita woke quietly, listened to Gyeong's soft singing and smiled for the first time in a long time, undoubtedly thinking of better times.

_Little soldier boy_

_Comes marching home_

In the room below, the muffled sound of a man screaming in fear echoed up through the trapdoor, followed by the hushed whispers of healers trying to calm a frightened soldier.

_Brave soldier boy_

_Comes marching home_

Then, as Gyeong's singing trailed off, and my eyes struggled to stay open, there was a moment of complete silence as the war seemed to stop for a moment as the lullaby's words drifted through the embattled city.

* * *

**In the next installment, the Earth Kingdom strikes back, hard, and the soldiers of the First Army are forced to confront the possibility of defeat.**

**One quick deviation: yesterday was June 6, marking the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasions of 1944. I just wanted to take a moment to remember all the men and women that lost their lives during the Normandy Invasions and the Second World War. May they Rest in Peace. **

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

**-IGdude117**


	11. Chapter 11: A Turn for the Worse

"_The surrender of General Chang of the 23__rd__ Garrison marked the high point of Fire Nation fortunes during the Six Hundred Day siege of Ba Sing Se. After Fire Nation forces broke through the Outer Wall on the 522__nd__ Day of the Siege, the First Army quickly consolidated its position, digging in quickly. Firebenders of the 122__nd__, 124__th__, and 126__th__ (the entire Firebender section of General Bujing's 32__nd__ Division) secured a large section of the Western Wall, capturing ten miles' worth of territory, and subsequently securing it against other garrison elements from Earth Kingdom controlled sectors. _

_On the ground, the infantry regiments of the 32__nd__ Division, as well as the entirety of the 20__th__ Division and the expedition from Shu's Third Army under the command of Lieutenant Commander Zhao exploited the breach in the wall and captured a vast swathe of land in the Agrarian Zone, even coming within ten miles of the Wall on the Fourth day of the Consolidation. _

_It was here, also, that some of the Fire Nation's greatest atrocities took place; the village of Fandao, for example, was razed to the ground by roving bands of Komodo- Rhino cavalry units, which were tasked with raiding villages and cutting supply lines. _

_The 13__th__ Mounted Infantry entered the village quickly, rounded up all its inhabitants, locked them in the town hall and razed the entire village to the ground. Known as the Fandao Massacre, over 900 villagers were executed in cold blood; an action that would be repeated many times by frustrated Firebenders who patrolled and assaulted Earth Kingdom positions in the Agrarian Zone."_

_Professor Jinhai, A Treatise on the First Siege of Ba Sing Se, page 421._

* * *

After holding our positions on the Walls for a week, we were redeployed to the ground to assist in pushing outwards in the Agrarian Zone. As Colonel Lu Ten explained to us in a massive mission briefing, we were to push out to the left of the Agrarian Zone, alongside the rest of the 32nd Division, and take as much land as we possibly could so that the artillery, which was being moved forward, would be protected from Earth Kingdom attacks from the left and right flanks, from sections of the wall that were too far away to be taken.

The City, we realized, was simply too large. General Shota's 12th Division was doing its best to tie up Earth Kingdom troops on the Northern Front, their numbers were steadily declining, even with the legendary Yuyan Archers on their side. The City was a country in its own right, and there were thousands of places that armies could come from to attack us.

However, we moved steadily forward and established tenuous holds on the Agrarian Zone. Barricades, houses, villages became the replacement for trenches, and despite the many Earthbender assaults that we took, we held them off every time.

We heard about the rumors, of course. Rumors about horrific massacres, terrible crimes that had been unleashed on Earth Kingdom villagers. Those of us that had been around long enough knew that there was probably merit to the rumors, but speculation continued unabated. I myself had never seen or taken part in a massacre, but I knew that there were some truly sick bastards that did that kind of crap.

* * *

Once again, I turn to my journals and other accounts to tell the story.

_Day 539, Winter. _

_We lost Sakai today. We were probing the enemy lines around midnight, trying to find a gap in the Earth Kingdom's fortifications. They've taken to simply bending rock walls out of the ground and defending from those. Bastards. We have to dig in the ground and fortify, and all they have to do is wave a hand, and they have a trenchworks that is ten times stronger than anything we had. _

_It started raining as soon as we got about a mile out from our positions surrounding the village of Jianfan. We were crouching our way through the maze of fences walling off the fields; at least the sunken fields provide good cover. _

_A large Earth Kingdom patrol of about twenty guys passed by, and just our luck, stopped to take a break. To make a long story short, one of their guys ended up accidentally pissing on one of ours, and we got into a big fight. We managed to fight them off, but not before Sakai took a rock spike through the gut. We tried carrying him back to the Field Hospital, but he died twenty minutes away from our lines. _

_He spent the whole time apologizing to us. I don't know why. He just kept saying "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."_

_Sakai was a good man. A good fighter. He didn't deserve to go out like that._

* * *

_Report to Fire Lord Azulon_

_From: General Iroh_

_Greetings, father; I hope you are well. The siege here goes well, but our progress is slowing. The Earth Kingdom is responding quickly to our advance, and is throwing units of militia against our forces. We slaughter them by the thousands, but they keep coming. The resilience of these people is almost inspiring, if not incredible. They just won't give up. _

_Morale is low, however. The endless attacks are wearing on the men. Some of them have been fighting since long before the New Year. I've received reports mass retreats from some of the Infantry Corps regiments. I've ultimately left discipline to individual regiment leaders, but I'm urging them to be lenient. I know you won't approve, father, but executions will only turn the men against me. _

_Once more, father, I must urge you to send whatever reinforcements you can. There are simply not enough men here to do what needs to be done. I know our forces our spread all through the Earth Kingdom, but I beg you; we need more. _

_Send my love to Ozai and Ursa. _

_-Iroh_

* * *

_To: General Mengyao_

_From: Commander How, Fourteenth Legion_

_Progress is good, all things considered. I hesitate to say perfect as we are still taking heavy casualties, but the muster is almost complete. The Sixth Legion has already arrived, and we're waiting for the First to arrive in full. The other Generals are optimistic, and our ostrich-horse riders have engaged the enemy Komodo Rhino squadrons to good effect. The Popular Militia is also coming in handy. I hesitate to send these citizens into battle for no better cause than to die, but they seem almost eager to do so. Hatred towards the Fire Nation is high, and these farmers show up in droves to get a chance at the enemy invaders. We're maintaining pressure on the Fire Nation, and we've already identified several areas where their defenses are spread out too much. _

_The Dai Li agents you sent have also come in handy. Reports from them indicate that we're facing around two divisions' worth of soldiers, with additional cavalry, artillery, and support personnel. A daunting task, to say the least, but achievable- I assure you, General, it can be done. _

_Other reports indicate that the enemy's morale is dangerously low, in addition. They've apparently been having mass retreats in even the smallest engagements. I predict that our attack will result in a mass retreat that will allow us to eliminate and expel the last remaining Fire Nation soldiers. _

_Sincerely, _

_Commander How, Fourteenth Legion Commanding Officer._

* * *

_Day 566, Winter._

_This damned rain doesn't stop. Every day, it's the same thing. A pouring torrent of rain that dampens our bending and makes the men miserable. _

_We found ourselves entrenched in a barn today. It's relatively comfortable, actually. Some of the men are lying in bales of hay, and Fujiko and I stand guard for now, watching out the cracked windows for signs of patrols. _

_Something's up, though. We've been seeing massive troop buildups in the last few days on patrol, and it doesn't bode well. Captain Jirou says that they're probably planning a counterattack in a few days. At least the Trebuchets are back and in action. They've deployed them near our original breach, the so-called "Camp Azulon", which was affectionately named after the distant Fire Lord. _

_Morale is low, and Iroh knows this, so he pays frequent visits to the front. He came around a few days ago and chatted our squad up. He even shared a cup of tea with us, and we spent half an hour joking and chatting with Crown Prince Iroh. It was surreal, even though I had met him before. _

_I have a bad feeling in my gut. Something's coming._

* * *

Day 593, Winter.

The Fall, as we called it, started on a normal, rainy day.

Our squad was camped in a makeshift fort that had been formed from large logs, boulders, and mud that we had used to wall in the village that we were camped up in, along with the rest of 13th Company.

The village, of course, had been empty when we got there, and some of the others got busy looting the houses, taking food, jewelry, and coins where they found them.

* * *

It started around midday. I was standing on the roof of a tall farmhouse with Shen when I noticed a flurry of movement in the distance.

"Give me the spyglass," I murmured.

Shen rummaged through his pack and handed me the telescope, which I looked through hastily. To my horror, I could see squads of Earth Kingdom troops surging from their positions and summoning great plates of rock to shield their movements.

"Damn it," I cursed, and I quickly slid down the roof and sprinted towards Captain Jirou's billet, grabbing Fujiko on the way.

"What is it?" she asked, confused.

"It's an attack!"

I burst into the billet and saluted. Captain Jirou glared at me from his desk, where he was pouring over some maps with his Lieutenants.

"What is the meaning of this interruption, Corporal Lee?" he asked, his pipe hanging from his mouth, as usual.

"Sir, the enemy is attacking from the North. In force."

Jirou cursed, grabbed his helmet, and sprinted outside. He glanced through his spyglass quickly, cursed again, and looked at us.

"Sergeant Fujiko rally the squads and prepare for combat. Send a runner back to Camp Azulon and get us some reinforcements."

She saluted quickly, and I followed her as we sprinted towards our position.

"To Arms!" she bellowed, sprinting all out towards the front lines.

Relaxing soldiers scrambled into action, stuffing their armor on and grabbing their weapons.

Overhead, massive stone discs with large squares cut out in the center flew overhead crashing into the field behind us with a concussive blast.

"That's new," I noted, kindling flames in my hands.

"Longer range. Great," Fujiko spat.

We slid into our positions, where the others in the squad were shoving their armor on and running outside, taking position behind the tall barricades. Overhead, the massive discs _whooshed_ above us, exploding in great clouds of dirt. I looked out over the fields, where hordes of men huddled behind large square rocks, nearing my outer range.

Direct attacks wouldn't work, so I would have to either arc them or use explosive bending, which always drained my energy quickly.

"Arc your shots," I said grimly.

"Take out the shields first then take those dirties out," shouted a sergeant from Second Squad.

There was a tense silence as the world seemed to go silent, and then all hell broke loose.

* * *

The enemy came from below us, tunneling underneath our defenses and emerging from behind us. The first sign we had of this was when Gyeong emitted a bloodcurdling scream as a spike ruptured his chest from behind.

I whirled around, taking stock of the situation, and leapt into action. An earthbender was bending a succession of smaller versions of the large discs they had been throwing before, and I ducked underneath his fire, sliding behind him. I bended a blast of fire into his knee, and he fell to the ground with a grunt of pain, and I finished him off with a blast to the face.

A second bender hit me with a pillar of stone that erupted from the ground, throwing me backwards a few feet. I quickly clambered to my feet and tossed a few fireballs at him, barely dodging a few rock splinters that _whizzed _over my head. Glaring, I launched myself into the air and swept my foot diagonally, emitting a wave of fire that slammed into his chest and sent him to the ground, steaming slightly.

All around me, as before, the sounds of combat filled the air, and the crackle of rock and the _fwoosh_ of fire came from every direction. I sprinted towards the rest of my squad, which was bending towards the distant soldiers desperately.

I concentrated on a quickly approaching squad of earthbenders, and, with a large flux of energy, I concentrated my fire into a thin beam that sliced through the rock, making it crumble. I blinked through my temporary bout of dizziness and let loose a succession of blasts, felling several soldiers. Then, a large disc crashed into my position, and I was knocked unconscious.

* * *

I was quickly revived and the battle continued on fiercely. We pulled back, on the order of the Captain, to the center of town, where the survivors of 13th Company were holed up in the town hall. Earthbenders were pouring into the town from the tunnels and the fields, and rocks battered at the thick wooden walls unceasingly. They took cover in the buildings around us, battering us endlessly. We were surrounded.

The sound of war filled my ears, and a sinking sense of desperation gripped me.

This was it. This was the end. There was no way we were walking away from this. We were finished. I kept bending, desperately, and then a rock spike grazed my side, tearing through the armor and several layers of my skin.

I roared in pain, falling backwards with the spike's force, and I gripped my bleeding side in agony. Fujiko dragged me backwards and started screaming for a healer. Then, however, a massive pillar of flame erupted from the right flank of the horde of earthbenders, and I propped myself up to peek over the battlements of the town hall.

* * *

From the East, they came.

There were only five of them, dressed in crimson uniforms, with three glaring eyes and three angry horns sneering from their helmets. They moved in perfect synchronization, bending colossal pillars of flame towards the enemy, torching swathes of the enemy in flame. Then, miraculously, they jumped into the air and flew on jets of flame into the midst of the enemy horde, where they began fighting in earnest.

The lead man, whose angry, hatful visage peered from beneath his helmet, flung men in every direction as he bended fireball after fireball into the approaching earthbenders. Whips of flame, jets of fire, even swords writhing in flames were these men's weapons.

And like that, the enemy retreated, and the five men, with weaker fireballs from the remaining firebenders atop the town hall, pushed them back.

We staggered out of the town hall in disbelief, staring in shock at the five men and the field of bodies that surrounded them. Their leader swept his helmet off, revealing a bald head with a tall topknot. He walked towards us, and saluted to Captain Jirou, who bowed deeply, holding his shoulder where it had been stabbed by an Earthbender's spear.

"Captain, you and your men had best fall back to Camp Azulon as soon as you can."

Jirou bowed again, and I finally realized who the men were.

They were Imperial Firebenders.

Their leader walked up to me and Fujiko, who was supporting me as I clutched my bleeding side in pain.

"You're Qin Lee, right?" he asked.

"Y- Yes, sir."

The man smirked, crossing his arms.

"I'm Colonel Oda of the Imperial Firebenders. I understand you're to join us if we survive to get back to the capital."

"I think so, sir."

Oda nodded, satisfied.

"You have skill. You'll make a fine initiate."

With that, he nodded respectfully, and he and his squad walked off towards the rear.

* * *

Of the 98 men that had garrisoned the village at the beginning of the day, only twenty one returned to Camp Azulon. Seventy Seven Firebenders of the 13th Regiment had perished. Gyeong, Shen, and the replacement that had replaced Sakai had all been killed.

I was wounded, as was Captain Jirou and a host of men from the other squads. As we walked through the camp as night fell, it seemed that the other regiments had done about the same. Ragged infantrymen limped through the makeshift camp, and casualty after casualty was laid by the field hospital.

One healer estimated that there were over 2,500 wounded on the first day. There were also 5,000 dead on the same day.

On orders from General Iroh, we fortified our positions around Camp Azulon in anticipation of the advancing Earth Kingdom soldiers.

It has been universally agreed that the Earthbender's tunneling actions all across the front was instrumental in the Earth Kingdom victory. Formerly secure Fire Nation positions were suddenly surrounded as earthbenders burst from the very ground to catch the Fire Nation troops in a deadly crossfire. Thousands died in the mass retreats, and the ragged remains of the First Army fortified the trenches around Camp Azulon.

* * *

That night, as I lay in the trench, gingerly holding my massive wound which had been sewed shut and bandaged by a healer, Prince Lu Ten stopped by.

"Corporal Lee. What happened?"

"Rock spike, sir. It's nothing; just a scratch."

He chuckled and took a seat next to me, sitting in the wet mud to my surprise. The Colonel looked a lot bloodier than he had before. Now, he had a long scar running across his cheek, and he was scratched, bruised, and bashed in several places.

He pulled out a flask from his armor and offered it to me. I took a drink and smiled, savoring the familiar taste of _Kasao_. I took a gulp, grimaced, and handed it back to him.

"Rough situation," he noted.

I chuckled.

"The spirits must be frowning on us," I muttered.

He smiled.

"Father would probably say that the Spirits only care for us, and that they rarely take direct action in real life," he said, snorting.

"Is he right? Are there _really_ spirits?" I asked, taking another sip of the fiery alcohol.

"I don't know," he sighed. "Could be. It certainly makes the prospect of death a lot more welcoming. I'd like to think that I'd be reunited with all the ancestors and crap."

"Makes it so we have something to die for, sir."

"I suppose. But what if we end up like Kano the Capricious? Getting our guts picked out by a crow? That would be a really bad reward."

We laughed quietly as the rain continued to pour down on us. Fujiko glanced at us from under her blanket as she rested. Keita stared blankly out of the trench towards the distant positions where scattered squads of Fire Nation troops tried to delay the Earth Kingdom legions.

There was a deep silence, and the soft patter of the rain intermixed with distant chatter from soldiers.

"Is this it?" I asked soberly, handing him the flask back.

He finished the flask off, grimacing.

"What do you mean?"

"Are we gonna die here?"

Smiling, Lu Ten chucked the flask behind him.

"Does it matter? All that matters is that we gave our lives fighting for our Nation."

"You really believe that, sir? Even if _we're_ the conquerors? The bad guys?"

The Colonel clambered to his feet, clapping me on the shoulder.

"It's not the Firelord we're fighting for, Qin Lee. It's what our Nation represents; Honor. Courage. Bravery. Determination. It's for our families back home; our nephews, cousins, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. Every life we give means another second our families can live on in peace. It's worth the price, don't you think?"

I nodded, and he smiled reassuringly, walking back down the trench, talking to different soldiers, clasping shoulders, reassuring and soothing the fear that had overtaken the survivors.

* * *

Later that night, Prince Lu Ten, son of Iroh, was killed when a massive disc took out the entire center part of the outer trenches. Mercifully, he died instantly. The Regiment was taken over by Captain Kinoshi, but the damage had been done. We all respected Lu Ten. Every engagement, every battle, he would lead from the front. A fearsome warrior in his own right, he was known as being a kind-hearted but dutiful soldier that knew his duty and thought of little else but his men.

While other Colonels would send their regiments into the jaws of death without a second thought, Lu Ten always cared for every last one of his men. His death made our moral plummet. All could see, in every regiment; the end was near.

* * *

It took the First Army another seven days to die.

We fought as hard as we could, of course. Every man gave his best every day and every night. Time and time again, their forces would converge upon our trenchline, and each time we would beat them back. Each time, they retreated, leaving scores of their own dead and more of our own.

Rumors bounded around the camp as the fear took hold. General Iroh, they said, had died of grief. The Earth Kingdom had us surrounded. Camp Teshima had been invaded. The Firelord had ordered us to be abandoned. Our army had been infiltrated by spies. The fear was palpable; it lingered on the air like the stench of the battlefield, and you could see it in every man's eyes, hear it in every man's voice.

* * *

When we finally received the order to retreat, the ragged remains of the First Army struggled out of the war-torn landscape of Ba Sing Se and simply ran away. We retreated endlessly, it seemed, with the Earth Kingdom at our backs and fear in our hearts. We passed our old trenches without a second thought. The twisted remains of the artillery lay strewn about, and the desolately empty Camp Teshima was abandoned when we got there.

Quickly and chaotically, we boarded the ships as the massive legions of the Earth Kingdom spilled from the rupture in Ba Sing Se's walls, and as our fleet made its way back home, we could see the enemy spilling into Camp Teshima, being fought off by the last rearguard units who had been fated to stay and die.

We had lost.

* * *

By final count, the Fire Nation lost over 200,000 men during the Six Hundred Day Siege of Ba Sing Se. We had lost many men- the death toll was staggering, in fact. General Shota's Twelfth Division, which had been fighting a losing battle to the North was virtually wiped out, with only 543 making it back to Camp Teshima. The 20th Division had been decimated, with only 2,000 men making it onto the ships from the original 50,000. Our division, the 32nd, took even worse casualties, with barely 1,500 making it from 55,000 original soldiers.

Colonel Lu Ten, a war hero, as well as a host of other officers, had fallen in battle. General Iroh had, after his son died, shut down completely, and resigned his office and his birthright soon after. We still respected him immensely of course. No man gave fault to the General for his defeat. Lu Ten's death impacted most of the soldiers similarly.

* * *

We were given a long furlough after the defeat at Ba Sing Se. On the boat ride back, I sat with Fujiko and Keita, the only two remaining members of the squad left. We spent the entire ride in complete silence, and the other soldiers on the boat simply sat in a daze, as if they were not quite sure what had happened.

My side was acting up horribly, and a healer told me that there were still a few rock shards lodged in my side. After a half a day's worth of traveling, we arrived in Varron, and I was loaded onto a stretcher alongside the other wounded men; coincidentally, Varron's medical facilities were the designated area for all wounded soldiers coming from the front.

As I was carried away, Fujiko walked beside my stretcher.

She looked… older. Her eyes were tired, blank, and her skin seemed to be taut. I felt as tired as she looked, as well. My bones ached, my heart ached, and my side felt as if it were on fire. Images flitted through my mind; men dying, fire was exploding, spears stabbing, swords slicing. The screams of the dying echoed in my ears.

They deposited me on the docks, and Fujiko took a seat beside me.

"I guess… this is it?" she said at length, her exhausted voice conveying uncertainty and confusion.

"Yep."

"You're a good soldier, Qin Lee. I've said it before."

"So are you. You and Keita are all that's left of the old squad. Keep it together, sarge. Get those bastards back."

She nodded, the paused, as if she had something to say. I almost wanted her to kiss me and profess her love, but I shunted the thought aside. That wasn't her character. Then, she stood, saluted stiffly, and walked back towards the ship.

I saluted wearily, and blackness overtook my vision as my stretcher was picked up once more.

* * *

**Next chapter, Qin Lee recuperates in his childhood home once more and begins his long road to recovery. The war drags on, however, and the Fire Nation Royal Family restructures itself, and a new Fire Lord takes the throne. Qin Lee also confronts the fact that he'll be joining the most prestigious organization in Fire Nation history. **

**In other news, a few episodes from the Legend of Korra Season 3 have been leaked in Latin America. I would watch them, but I kind of want to watch it on TV first. How about you guys?**

**Anyways, thanks for reading!**

**-IGdude117**


	12. Chapter 12: Wounds That Never Heal

95 AG- Fifteen Days after the Ba Sing Se defeat

The road to recovery was a long one. After I was unceremoniously dumped on the docks of Varron, I slipped into and out of consciousness for, apparently, a period of about a week. My mother, and other nurses working in the Varron Hospital, managed to bring me back from the brink of death; my wound had been infected with the "Sleeping Sickness", which was why my consciousness had become so fragile. Luckily, however, they managed to keep me alive with some herbs and plant mixtures.

I woke up with a pounding headache and a side that screamed in agony. In fact, it was sort of like waking up the morning after drinking a bottle of _Kasao_, but I digress.

My mother noticed me sitting up in bed, and she came over.

"Mom?"

"Good. You're awake. How do you feel?"

"Like a pack of camel-oxen just ran me over, but other than that, I'm fine."

"How's your side?"

"Hurts, but it comes and goes. How long have I been out?"

"A week. You got the Sleeping Sickness."

I cursed silently and she smiled.

"You get some rest, okay? I'll tell you more about what's going on in a bit."

* * *

As soon as she left, and I laid down, the memories, which had been curiously absent, came flooding back. The blood, the guts, the sounds of war, the screams, the dying; it flooded back to me in a chaotic cacophony of pain and suffering.

I groaned and held my forehead in pain.

"Where are you hit?" asked a gruff voice from my left.

I turned my head slightly and saw a man in the uniform of the Cavalry Corps whose legs were now bandaged stumps.

"The side," I responded.

"Rock spike?"

"Yeah."

"Name's Ryu. 10th Cavalry Regiment."

"Qin Lee. 122nd Firebenders."

"The Prince's 122nd, right? You guys were on the Left Flank?"

"Yeah. Damned Dirties pushed us back with tunneling attacks. How 'bout you?"

"The same. They ambushed us with ostrich-horse rider squads and decimated our Komodo Rhino squads. Spent the rest of the siege fighting on foot."

I nodded, quietly reflecting that this man may have participated in one of the infamous massacres we had heard about earlier.

"I was sorry to hear about the Prince."

"He was a good soldier. He'll be missed."

The cavalryman nodded silently, and then turned his head in the other direction. I stared at the distant ceiling, conflicting emotions swirling within me.

* * *

Time passed. Days became months, and I quickly tired of being confined to a hospital bed. Ayako came to visit me a few times. I had written her a few letters, but truth be told, I was simply not in the state of mind to be thinking about women. I talked a lot with my mother and father respectively, and I got to know Ryu of the Cavalry and the man to my right, a Lieutenant Hirano from the 31st Infantry.

I was soon able to walk on my own, and I took frequent walks. My side would sting every so often, the stitches aching almost constantly, but after a few months, I had nearly recovered completely.

* * *

One night, as I sat by the waterfront, staring into the distance at the ships that lurched forward inexorably, I felt my mother sit down beside me.

"How's your side?"

"Better. Thanks to you."

There was a long silence.

"You'll have to go soon, won't you?"

"Yeah. To the Capital. I'm to join the Imperial Firebenders."

"I'm proud of you, son."

I was suddenly reminded of the fact that my mother had been there all my life, and that I had never really thanked her for it. Father had often been gone for months on end, tending to his trading company, and that became a norm. My mother, however, had to raise me as both a father and a mother. She was always there. Every time I broke up with a girlfriend, failed an exam at school, or felt conflicted about something, she was there.

I put my arm around her.

"Thank you, mother. For everything."

She smiled, and hugged me back.

We stared at the water again quietly.

"Were you scared? Over there, I mean."

In my head, the screams surfaced again, as if struggling to stay afloat.

"Yeah. Every day."

She nodded.

"You know, my Uncle served also. He was an infantryman in the Western Campaigns, at the beginning of the war. Whenever he returned, he would be joyful, funny, and happy. Yet every time I passed his room on my way to my bedroom, I could always hear quiet sobbing from his room. There would be times where he'd just… go silent. He wouldn't talk, he would just sit and stare, lost in whatever nightmare he was forced into."

I leaned back. The waves crashed against the beach softly, and in the distance, a merchant cruiser chugged away peacefully, on its way to whatever trade port it was bound for.

"Every day I work in that hospital, I see boys come in with the most terrible of wounds. Young boys, too. They'll come in, their legs blown off, or their arms mangled, and each time I look at them, I'm sure it's you. I'd pray to the spirits every night that your lifeless body wouldn't be carried in, or that you'd come in, a husk of your former self.

So when you finally _did_ come in, I nearly broke then and there."

Her voice was so full of emotion, fear and pain that I had to hold back tears.

"You boys go over there and risk your lives so that we can live in peace. A lot of people here don't appreciate that. And I do know that some of the people you're with are bad people that do bad things. But each and every one of you kids gave the ultimate price; your innocence. I'm proud of you, Qin Lee, but I know that you've changed. I know that this war has taken from you your optimism. But know this; no matter how horrible, how depressing this war may be, you can never give up hope. It's a cliché, I know, but it's true. Hope is something that you can never give up."

* * *

Suki, leader of the famed Kyoshi Warriors, once wrote something in her memoirs that sticks out to me in particular.

"_It is the warrior's curse that we never stop being one. Sure, the war may end, the fighting may cease, and the Nations may be in balance, but that… that aspect of you never goes away. When the war ended, and my Sisters were freed, we thought everything would be fine and dandy, even with the Harmony Restoration crisis and the many other crises that occurred after that. But I'd always have that urge. I would walk into a vendor's shop and, as I handed over the coins to buy a piece of fruit, I'd look at the man and think how many ways I could kill him. I'd envision it perfectly; a sudden lunge across the counter into his windpipe, a gentle tug over the counter, and a simple hit with my sword that would put him out of action forever. _

_That is why I rarely leave Kyoshi Island. In my heart, I know, even though I've never had a murderous impulse in my life, that the capability to take someone's life remains there, hidden and waiting, like the great Unagi that waits out of our shores."_

_-Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors; "Painted face, Hidden Blade: a Kyoshi Warrior's Memoirs," page 222._

* * *

I stayed in Varron a full two months after my full recovery. It had been four months since the defeat at Ba Sing Se, and I spent most of it resting, spending time with my family, and spending time with Ayako, who I had lost interest in, but I was too wrapped up in the fallacy, the fantasy of having a normal life that I never told her.

My orders arrived in the early morning in the hands of a Interior Guardsman.

"Corporal Qin Lee of the 122nd Firebender Regiment?" the man asked.

I nodded once, and he handed me an ornate scroll, affixed with the seal of the Royal Family.

"You are hereby ordered to report to the Capital City for induction into the Imperial Firebenders. You are advised to leave tomorrow at the latest, and a messenger will be standing by to give you instructions upon your arrival."

I nodded, and saluted to the man who walked down the street confidently. My mother walked up behind me, a sad look in her eyes.

"You have to go," she observed.

I nodded.

* * *

The next day, as I stood on the docks, dressed in my uniform, waiting for the next ferry, I waited next to my parents. The ship soon steamed into the harbor, and we stepped aside as soldiers ran to and forth carrying litters of wounded and boxes of supplies.

I was struck by the familiarity of the situation; lines of dead and dying men being carried past me, it felt like Ba Sing Se. A sailor walked up to me with a book and looked at me tiredly.

"Name and business."

"Corporal Qin Lee, 122nd Firebenders, on transfer to the Capital for further orders."

"Do you have any orders?"

I handed him the scroll and he looked at it with interest immediately, noticing the Royal Seal.

"The Imperial Firebenders, huh? Well, welcome aboard."

He walked back up the gangplank into the ship and began yelling at some other sailors. I turned to my parents and hugged each one tightly, knowing deep down that this would be the last time in a long time that I'd see them.

"I'm proud of you, son," my father whispered. "Do us proud."

My mother simply hugged me tightly, crying softly into my shoulder.

"Come back," she whispered desperately.

I boarded the ship and leaned on the guard railing sadly, waving goodbye to my parents. Then, the ship shuddered to life, a large smoke cloud belching from the chimney, and we were on our way.

* * *

Tamura paints an adequate picture of the world's state in Spring 95 AG in his book.

"_The Defeat of the First Army at Ba Sing Se set into motion a chain of events that would lead to the Fire Nation's eventual defeat. First and foremost, Crown Prince Iroh abdicated his right to the throne as well as his rank as a result of the loss of his son, Colonel Lu Ten, in the Siege. This, suspiciously enough, was followed closely by the death of Fire Lord Azulon in his sleep a few weeks later, and the crowning of Fire Lord Ozai. After a three week National Mourning period for their departed leader, rumors of foul play and assassination swirled through the Nation, and the newly crowned Ozai responded by consolidating the Interior Guard and cracking down on dissidence and resistance amongst the populace. _

_In the Earth Kingdom, the Sixth and Fourteenth Legions consolidated control around Ba Sing Se and reestablished their former positions in and around the city in anticipation of a Fire Nation return. Efforts to repair the wall were put into place, and the city began a period of rebuilding and recuperation. _

_In the Western Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation strengthened its hold on the local populace, and preparations for a siege of the city of Omashu were put into the preliminary planning stage. Widespread skirmishes continued in the South as Fire Nation armies attempted to spread towards the city of Chin and Kyoshi Island, but Earth Kingdom resistance strengthened considerably, and the Fire Nation was halted at the battle of Maolin. _

_In the Northern Air Temple, an advance party of infantry and firebender troops approached the Air Temple in the hopes of colonizing it, only to find that the inhabitants of a village led by a figure known as the "Mechanist" had settled there. It was here that the deal for the Mechanist to produce new technology for the Fire Nation was begun, leading to the War Balloon and Tank technologies. _

_The Northern Water Tribe maintained its defense against Fire Nation Raiders, and Fire Nation raids on the Southern Tribes continued unabated."_

_Tamura, "A History of the World", Volume 3, page 156_

* * *

I arrived, once again, at the Fire Nation docks to be greeted by a messenger dressed in an all red military uniform. I shouldered my pack and walked up to him, recognizing the Royal Seal and assuming he was my liaison. As I neared, the man crossed his arms regarded me curiously.

"Are you Corporal Lee?"

"Yes, sir," I said, glancing at his sergeant's insignia.

"My name is Sergeant Ueno. I'm in charge of initiate training. Follow me to the carriage, and we'll make our way to the Royal Palace."

Once again, I found myself in a carriage bound for the Royal Palace; an occurrence that, curiously enough, had happened before. I clambered into the carriage and set my pack next to me. Sergeant Ueno sat across from me and stared out the window, and we spent the first half of the ride in total silence.

"You were at Ba Sing Se?" He asked, after a while.

"Yes, sir."

"What unit?"

"The 122nd, sir. Prince Lu Ten's regiment."

"Good. You're a veteran, then?"

"Yes, sir. I spent the majority of the siege in battle."

The man lifted his eyebrow in surprise, impressed.

"One year, huh? You have potential then."

He turned back to staring at the passing buildings, and I sized up my compatriot in curiosity. He was well built, muscular, and he had a large patch of skin that was lighter than the others on his cheek. He noticed my stare, despite my effort to be covert, and he smiled.

"Took a boulder to the face. Grazing hit; I'm damned lucky I wasn't standing an inch to the left, else I wouldn't be here now. Got it when we were in the West. Nasty stuff."

I nodded, and we remained in silence until the familiar jet-black Royal Palace came into sight.

We entered the walls, and the carriage stopped in front of the steps, where a small collection of men stood around. Ueno opened the carriage door and hopped out, and I followed.

"Listen up!" he bellowed.

"This is our last recruit; Corporal Lee. Now that we're all here, get yourselves into a line so that you won't _completely_ embarrass me when the Firelord gets here!"

There was an excited murmur amongst the men as we got into a line. I awkwardly shouldered my pack and stood on the far right of the line, next to a tanned guy with light brown hair.

"Sergeant Mori," the man introduced himself. "234th Firebenders. Corporal Lee, is it? Where were you stationed?"

I stood at ease, waiting for the command, but I decided to indulge in the Sergeant's small talk, if only to win some allies. I wasn't fooling myself, however. These men were competitors, not friends. Only the best could get into the Imperial Firebenders, and I would be damned if I didn't get in so I could avenge my fallen comrades.

"Ba Sing Se. Full Tour. I was in Prince Lu Ten's regiment."

The man looked impressed, and as he didn't offer his own station, I assumed that the man felt guilty to some extent; he had probably been assigned to a garrison spot.

"Atten- Hut!" bellowed Sergeant Ueno.

We snapped to attention, and my heart began pounding as the form of a man in the Fire Lord's robes appeared.

Firelord Ozai sauntered up to the line of five recruits and he walked down the line, eyeing us like fresh kills. I recognized his face from the propaganda posters, but his eyes exuded cruelty and indifference, and I had to suppress a shudder.

He stopped in front of a tall, gangly man who had a scruffy beard.

"What is your name, soldier?"

"Private Tamura, your highness!" he shouted, bowing stiffly.

The Firelord moved on, stopping by the squat, built man with jagged black sideburns next to Mori.

"Name?"

"Corporal Yamada, your highness!" he shouted, also bowing.

"Where was your last assignment, soldier?"

"The Pouhai Stronghold, sir!"

The Firelord nodded and stopped in front of me. My heart was pounding, and it took great effort to stand rock-still in front of Ozai's penetrating glare.

"Name?"

"Corporal Qin Lee, your highness!"

"Last assignment?"

"Ba Sing Se, your highness!"

Ozai looked interested.

"What unit?"

"The 122nd Regiment, sir!"

"Ahh, the lost prince's regiment. Tell me, soldier, what do you feel about the First Army's disgraceful defeat?"

I hesitated, knowing what he wanted me to say. My loyalty to the Prince and General Iroh was great, but I knew that one wrong move would either leave me dead or out of the running, at least.

"I think it is a disgrace that we retreated, your highness. However, I only retreated because our commander ordered it so."

The Firelord gazed at me, silent.

"You are right, soldier. My brother is a disgraceful coward, and it is a disgrace that you retreated. At least you followed orders, _cowardly_ they might have been. I only hope that you will not show the same cowardice, Corporal."

He walked away and I exhaled slightly relieved. Ozai stood in front of us, and raised his voice.

"You are all here because you are the best Firebenders our Great Military has to offer. The next month will weed out the _cowards_ from the men. After all, you will eventually be entrusted with the safety of the Royal Family, and we cannot give _weaklings_ the opportunity to fail our very nation. I trust that Sergeant Ueno and Colonel Oda will weed out the bad crop and give me the very best ones."

With that, he turned around briskly and walked back to the palace, leaving us in stunned surprise.

"Alright, Initiates. Give me thirty laps of the Palace before you report to the Imperial Barracks. Last one to arrive gets cut."

With that, we sprinted off, running with the fear of failure and the fear of our officers behind us.

* * *

Corporal Ando, a lanky man with a thin beard, arrived last and was forced to walk back to the docks in shame. The First Initiate had been cut.

We found our way to the tall, ornate building that was the Imperial Barracks, out of breath and panting. On the porch of the building, a few Imperial Firebenders, iconic in their crimson uniforms, lounged around, watching us struggle in with bemused expressions on their faces.

Laughing to each other, they beckoned us over.

"You guys the new initiates?"

"Yes, sir."

"Initiate quarters are down the hall," said a man with dark brown sideburns.

We struggled inside, panting and exhausted from the run, but the man stopped me.

"You're the guy from Ba Sing Se, right?"

"Yeah."

"I remember you. You were a good fighter, from what I saw. The rest of the initiates are from garrisons, right?"

"As far as I know, sir."

The man nodded, as if he were satisfied.

"I'm Corporal Masao. Its nice meeting you; good luck."

I thanked him and struggled into the Initiate Barracks and collapsed on my bunk, depositing my belongings to the side of my bed. The other three did the same, and we went to sleep immediately, exhausted more than anything else.

* * *

**In the next chapter, Qin Lee trains to become a fully fledged Imperial Firebender and makes some new friends. Will he complete his training? Will he outwit his competition? Will he be able to overcome the badge of dishonor that _is_ the Siege of Ba Sing Se? Tune in next time to find out!**

**Thanks for reading guys. We've survived the first wave of leaks, and the anticipation for Season 3 is building up... I can hardly wait. **

**-IGdude117**


	13. Chapter 13: Agni Kai

95 AG- Late Spring

I used to look back at Basic Training whilst I was in the trenches and reflect on how much easier training was back in the day. Of course, that was easy to say when the threat of death hung over you and you were stuck in a muddy trench facing certain death every day. Of course Basic Training seems easier.

Needless to say, that was not the case with Imperial Firebender Training.

Each day was a grueling battle against our own wills and the cruel tendencies of our superiors. Sergeant Ueno was the Master of Recruits, so he oversaw our training most of the time, but we occasionally had other instructors.

We would be woken by the bellowing of friendly Sergeant Ueno around 1:00 in the morning, at which point we would be subjected to a grueling session of calisthenics and exercises. If the sergeant was feeling nice, we could expect twenty laps around the perimeter walls as well as intense stretching sessions, as well as press-ups, and fire fists.

Then, after an hour of exercise, we would launch into firebending exercises, where Ueno would pair the four of us against each other in endless sparring matches. These exhausting Agni Kai-like matches would continue on for hours on end, until roughly midday, where we would get a brief, thirty minute long break to relax.

The last remaining recruits spent these lunch breaks getting to know each other, and I have fond memories of getting to know my competitors well. Sergeant Mori, the tanned man with the brown hair, became a close personal friend after we discovered that we had both been friends with Hiro. Mori, the son of a nobleman, had gone to Academy with Hiro, and the two had been friends during school. Subsequently, Mori and I talked a lot about Hiro and life in general.

Corporal Yamada, the squat, muscular man with the jagged black sideburns was an interesting character. As his general demeanor indicated, he had very little humor or even kindness, but was rather a straightforward, blunt man. He had been assigned to the Pouhai Stronghold for a year now, after having rotated off the Western Campaigns. He was a skilled firebender, and had mastered almost all of the advanced forms, but lacked imagination. However, I respected his unswerving sense of duty; it reminded me of Prince Lu Ten.

Private Tamura, the thin, gangly man with a scruffy beard was, despite his goofy exterior, a focused and intense firebender. The man was a natural of sorts, having mastered more sets than Yamada. However, his penchant for getting drunk commonly was the reason for his current rank. Sometimes the others and I wondered how a drunkard got into the running, but when we faced him in our sparring matches, we saw why.

After our lunch break, we were introduced to hours of classroom and practical instruction. For two hours after lunch, we were treated to advanced firebending classes, taught by some of the veterans in the organization. We would huddle around "The Arena", or the small outdoor auditorium a few blocks away from the Palace, watching the men show off advanced firebending moves. Afterwards, we would practice the prescribed moves while veterans passed through, critiquing and fixing our moves.

* * *

After Firebending instruction, we got an hour of free practice, where we could hone our already existing skills in the Palace Training grounds. Usually, I would stick with a few of the other recruits, usually Mori or Tamura, and we would compare our moves and practice the ones we already knew. Sometimes, we experimented, fusing different moves together to make a new one.

As soon as our free training period was over, we were shunted to a plethora of classroom lectures involving a myriad of different topics. Some days we would learn advanced military tactics, and others we would learn about formal etiquette. Most days we would learn about what being a Palace Guard meant, and the different layouts of the Palace itself and the protocol for guarding the Royal Family.

Sometimes, the trainers would take us into the Palace itself to get familiar with the layout. It was on one such occasion that I 'met' Prince Zuko and his sister for the first time.

* * *

We were following Colonel Oda around the ground floor dining rooms when I caught sight of two children following us from a distance. I couldn't hear them, of course, but I had somehow managed to pick up the ability to read lips.

"Who are _they_?" asked the young, 12 year old Prince Zuko to his younger sister.

Princess Azula rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"They're the Imperial Firebender Initiates, stupid. They're training to join the Royal Guard."

"They look kinda scary."

"Of _course_ they do, Zuzu. They're training for the _Imperial Firebenders_. Father wouldn't have chosen them if they weren't scary."

This was only one isolated incident, of course, but the rare glimpses we got of the Royal Family piqued my interest. I had met Iroh and his son, of course, but seeing the Royal Family while they were in power was an experience I wasn't quite used to.

* * *

We trained like this for month after month. None of us knew when final selections would take place, and we all grew exhausted and tired of the intense training day after day.

Very soon, it was the New Year again, and we came to the realization that we had been training for a full year. For me, it was startling beyond measure. In fact, a year ago I had been trying to survive in a snowy, muddy trench, and now I was breaking my back trying to join the prestigious Imperial Firebenders.

Time flies, I suppose.

I began to grow very homesick. We were allowed no personal correspondence, of course, and all contact with the outside world had been cut. My heart, however, ached to see my hometown again, and I could see that my comrades were similarly homesick.

This time of year, during the New Year, the people of Varron put out their National Flags and prayed to their spirits for good fortune in the coming years. The merchant families often had a communal feast, and performers, firebenders, and the fireworks graced the city as it celebrated the New Year.

All the families also visited the graves of their lost ones, and gave offerings to the spirits for their deceased's good fortune. They also honored war veterans at the same time, praying to the spirits for good fortunes in the War and the safe return of all soldiers.

* * *

We trained for a few more months until the snows began to melt again and the weather outside became favorable. We woke up one morning to see Sergeant Ueno standing in the front of the room, crossed armed. We suddenly realized that it was 10 in the morning; somehow, we had all overslept. We snapped to attention from our bunks, anticipating punishment of some kind for our failures.

"Today, recruits, is the day you shall find out if your training has paid off. Today will be the final day of Imperial Training for three of you. One of you shall ascend to our ranks, and the others shall return in disgrace. Your final test is this; we shall have three Agni Kais today. The first two will be between Corporal Lee and Private Tamura, and Sergeant Mori as well as Corporal Yamada. The victors of these two Agni Kais will face each other in front of a panel including the Firelord Himself. The victor of that final Agni Kai will be promoted to the Imperial Firebenders. Report to the Arena in thirty minutes."

He swirled around briskly, leaving us in the dust. We were silent for a moment, then groans of defeat resounded from around the room.

"I'm done for," whispered Mori. "I'm no match for Yamada."

"You'll be fine, Mori. You're a fine Firebender. Yamada lacks imagination; just use one of the made up moves against him."

"Then what? I'll either have to face you or Tamura, and both of you are practically masters."

"Me? I'm not a master, Mori. I just get lucky," with complete honesty. That's what got me through Ba Sing Se; luck. Nothing else.

Mori looked at me skeptically.

"You're the only one of us that has used firebending in battle recently, and you've mastered almost all of the Advanced Sets. Colonel Oda said it himself in firebending practice; you're almost to the point where you can start learning the Master sets."

I remained silent, conflicted. All these men were, in some way, brothers. We had gotten to know each other during training, and I hesitated to send any of them in disgrace. This was what I had hoped to avoid, but it was still hard. I looked across the room at Tamura, who smiled faintly and bowed his head.

* * *

The Arena was desolate, empty. Four torches burned brightly, marking out the playing field. In the arena's seats, sat a collection of Imperial Firebenders, including Colonel Oda, who sat with a book and quill, watching the proceedings. Mori and Yamada were the first to go. Ueno spoke quickly to each of them, then stood to the middle. Both men went to their prospective sides of the field and stripped their vests off, leaving their torsos exposed. Then, Ueno barked a command, and both turned and faced each other, settling into firebending poses.

Then, they leapt into action.

Yamada made the first move, lunging forward, throwing a selection of fireballs at Mori, who sidestepped them, responding with several high kicks that sent slices of fire towards Yamada. Grunting, Yamada diffused them with sweeps of his arms. Then, he flipped to the side, avoiding a wave of fire that Mori had sent towards him, responding with a few more fireballs.

The battle wore on, and neither man tired or gave up. The final blow came when Mori, who attempted to send a rippling tidal wave of fire towards his opponent, had a misstep and slipped slightly. Yamada noticed it immediately, and bent a blast towards Mori's leg. Mori, who was already slipping took the full brunt of the blat in his shin, and he fell to the ground with an agonizing scream.

By then, my heart was already pounding, and I ran through my moves in my head, trying to calm my breathing.

"Corporal Yamada wins the Agni Kai," shouted Ueno. "Next duel."

I walked to my side and slipped my vest off, crouching down and looking away from Tamura, our backs facing each other. I could hear Ueno talking to Tamura, and at length, Ueno walked over to me.

"You ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"Remember, break his stance. You're a veteran. Use your resourcefulness and exploit your enemy's weakness. For the record, Corporal, I'm rooting for you. May the spirits favor you."

My heart began beating faster, and I slowly wrangled my breathing back down, taking deep, full breaths. I could feel the energy coursing through my body, and I quickly reviewed the Hundred Basic Moves in my head.

"Positions!"

I stood and faced Tamura, setting my legs far apart and extending my fists close to my body. I stared at Tamura, reviewing what I knew about him quickly in my head.

Tamura, despite his humor, was an intense bender and rarely messed up any moves. He was unique in that he used a wide variety of moves, but was relatively predictable. I, on the other hand, had the same set of moves. I knew, however, that the key to my victory would be to break Tamura's stance and exploit any weakness.

I knew that he would wait for me to make the first move, and that he was very patient, so I decided to make the first one.

Roaring in anger, letting my hate towards the Earth Kingdom and my passion to win this damn thing, I swung my leg diagonally in a swiping motion, releasing a wave of fire that sliced towards Tamura. Leaping into action, Tamura ducked under the wave, responding with a large fireball. Setting my stance, I dispelled the fire with my forearms, feeling the warmth of the flames wash over me. We circled each other for a few seconds, and I then launched myself in the air with both feet and spun myself towards Tamura, letting loose a pillar of flames that arced towards him. He grunted, crossing his forearms and deflecting the blow, but I had already seen his mistake.

In trying to dispel my blast, he had forgotten his lessons in maintaining his stance. Undoubtedly, his adrenaline rush, along with the possibility of being sent home in disgrace, muddled his senses, and he stepped an inch too far to the right.

An inch was all I needed.

Roaring in anger, as soon as I landed I swept my arms from the ground to my left side diagonally, releasing a wave of fire from the ground beneath his feet, singing his foot and knocking him off balance.

There was a moment of disbelief as he looked at me in fear, regret, and anger as he stumbled backwards. Then, shouting in anger, I kicked viciously in his direction, sending a blast of fire squarely in the center of his chest, propelling him backwards several feet.

There was a shocked silence, and I realized that it had only been a two minute battle, as compared to the ten minute duel between Mori and Yamada.

"Corporal Lee wins the Agni Kai. The next duel begins when the Firelord arrives."

The sitting watchers stood, talking amongst themselves, and I walked over to where Tamura was, my chest heaving. He was simply lying there, staring at the sky.

"Come to gloat?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

I offered my hand and he took it reluctantly, and I pulled him up.

"Hardly. You did well. Sorry it had to come to this."

He sighed dejectedly, and a tear ran from his eye.

"I realized my mistake as soon as it happened. I knew you'd take advantage of that. I guess I'm not cut out for this."

I clasped him on the shoulder.

"You did well, Tamura. May you live on in peace."

He sighed again, wiping his eyes with his arm.

"Good luck, Qin Lee. Yamada's probably feeling a bit arrogant right about now. Use that. That's what you're good at, after all. You see our mistakes and exploit them. You'll win; I'm sure of it."

"Tell Mori I said thank you and good luck, would you?"

He bowed, forming the flame shape with his fist and hand. I bowed back, earnestly, and he walked away.

I walked to my end of the field and looked across it at Yamada, who was staring at me with hostility, no doubt sizing me up. I smiled slightly and sat on the field cross legged, and got my breathing under control, meditating.

My heartbeat slowed, and my breathing became normal as I ran through my moves once more. Then, I opened my eyes, and the Firelord and his children were just exiting a palanquin, walking towards the arena steps. Immediately, remembering my lessons on protocol, I bowed deeply, falling to my knee. Across the field, Yamada was doing the same.

"Well _I _think the muscled guy on the left will win," whispered Princess Azula, referring to Yamada.

Ozai shushed them, and sat next to Colonel Oda. Sergeant Ueno gestured for us to kneel in the ceremonial way, and began speaking.

"Honored Guests, Firelord Ozai, Princess Azula, and Prince Zuko. This is the Final Agni Kai between our initiates. Two duels have already taken place, and the two men you see before you are the two victors. On the right side of the field is Corporal Yamada; Seasoned veteran of the Western Earth Kingdom Campaign, and participant in no less than seven colossal battles that gave our Nation the upper hand in the War. On the left side of the field is Corporal Qin Lee. The Corporal is a veteran of the Siege of Ba Sing Se, a member of the elite 122nd Firebender Regiment that was led by none other than Prince Lu Ten. Corporal Lee is a seasoned warrior who won't let his defeat at Ba Sing Se keep him in shame."

There was a slight round of applause, and then silence fell over the arena.

"Ready yourselves."

I slowly got to my feet and turned, amusedly seeing Yamada in his form. The man, it seemed, was either excited, nervous, or both. Either way, his speed would mean that he would tire quicker; an advantage to me.

Slowly, I settled into the same form as before. Then, from my left, a gong crashed, signaling the duel's beginning.

A silence settled over the arena as we both sized each other up. Fortunately, however, Yamada made the first move, sending a spinning-kick fire blast towards my head. I grunted with the effort, but dispelled it with by sweeping my arms to the side, and I sent a few firebolts in his direction, moving towards the right. He bellowed in rage and conjured massive whips from his hands, which converged on my position with a roar of flame and heat.

I solidified my position and crossed my forearms, dispelling the whips across my body. Then, I lunged forward, cupping a large fireball in my hands and allowing it to build up. Then, I landed a few feet in front of my last position and released the ball, which sped towards Yamada quickly, but he deflected it deftly.

He sent another few kicks towards me, and I casually sidestepped them, and I saw his chest heaving with effort.

He was trying too hard. I wasn't tired at all.

Then, I backhanded a wave of fire towards him, which he ducked under, and took the precious moments he spent to duck to rush forward into close range. I put all my energy into my punch and sent a fireblast sailing towards his face, which he dispelled.

We went like that for several minutes; kicking, punching, and swiping flames at each other, searching for an opening.

Then, he gave me one.

Yamada yelled in hatred as he sliced his hand horizontally, releasing a blade of fire. Sensing his tiredness, I ducked under the wave and sent a fireblast arcing towards his abdomen. Then, while he dispersed it, I lunged forward and wreathed my fist in flames and punched while his arms were behind him whilst he completed his block and hit him squarely in the abdomen, sending him to the ground, unconscious.

There was a deep silence, and I looked at the unconscious form of Yamada, panting. Then, I turned towards the audience and bowed deeply.

"Corporal Lee wins the Agni Kai."

There was a round of applause from the audience, and Ozai looked at me with mild curiosity. Azula looked angry, as she _had_ bet on my opposition, and Prince Zuko looked slightly pleased.

Then, the applause died down as Ozai stood up.

"Congratulations, initiate. You have proven yourself worthy of the Imperial Firebenders. You have regained your honor from that dishonorable drivel that my brother called a siege. Congratulations."

He and his children stalked away, and Colonel Oda walked up to me, saluting.

"Congratulations, Corporal. You have proven yourself worthy of the honor of joining the Imperial Firebenders. Report to Captain Kimura of the Royal Guard for your next assignment."

I bowed deeply, and Ueno walked up after Oda had left.

"Good job, Corporal. Now the real work begins."

* * *

**In the next chapter, Qin Lee has to earn his place among the Royal Guard and gets acquainted with the Royal Family. A Prince is banished, and the war drags on. Rumors of the Last Airbender begin to emerge, and Qin Lee's path towards witnessing the incredible begins. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**-IGdude117**


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